The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) announced yesterday, Sunday, December 22, that Shubhra Ranjan IAS Study in Delhi has been fined Rs 2 lakh for misleading advertisements.

An investigation by the CCPA revealed that the institute failed to disclose key information about the courses taken by students it claimed had successfully cleared the Indian Civil Services Examination (CSE).

The institute’s advertisements boasted results such as “13 students in the top 100,” “28 students in the top 200,” and “39 students in the top 300” for the UPSC CSE 2023. They also prominently featured the names and photos of successful candidates, PTI reports.

Additionally, terms like "Shubhra Ranjan IAS" and "Students of Shubhra Ranjan IAS" were used, creating the misleading impression that Shubhra Ranjan herself is or was an IAS officer, according to an official statement.

CCPA informed that these advertisements violated the provisions of the Consumer Protection Act of 2019 on misleading advertisements by "deliberately concealing important information."

The regulatory body further said that by concealing critical details about the courses, the institute deprived prospective students of the ability to make informed choices when selecting a coaching institute.

The CCPA has directed Shubhra Ranjan IAS Study to discontinue such advertisements.

Prior to this, the CCPA levied a Rs 7 lakh penalty on Vajirao & Reddy Institute on November 22 for similar misleading claims about UPSC CSE 2022 results.

To date, the CCPA has issued 45 notices to various coaching institutes for misleading advertisements, imposing a total penalty of Rs 63.60 lakh on 20 institutions.