CCPA Penalizes Coaching Institute for Deceptive IIT-JEE Claims
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Synopsis
The CCPA has fined IITPK Rs 3 lakh for misleading IIT-JEE result claims. This action aims to protect students from deceptive advertising practices, ensuring compliance with the Consumer Protection Act.
Key Takeaways
- CCPA imposed Rs 3 lakh fine on IITPK.
- Misleading claims about IIT-JEE results targeted students.
- Advertisements featured false titles like IIT Topper.
- Claims lacked supporting evidence and were misleading.
- CCPA has issued multiple notices to coaching institutes.
New Delhi, Feb 14 (NationPress) The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has levied a fine of Rs 3 lakh on IITian's Prashikshan Kendra Pvt. Ltd. (IITPK) for disseminating misleading information regarding the IIT-JEE examination results in order to attract young students, as indicated in an official statement released on Friday.
The coaching center's promotions prominently displayed titles such as "IIT Topper" and "NEET Topper" with the bold figures '1' and '2' preceding candidate names and images. This distortion was intended to foster the false perception that these individuals attained All India Rank in their respective tests. The institute intentionally obscured the fact that these students were merely the top performers within the institute, not on a national scale.
This distortion of reality can significantly sway the choices of students, primarily those in classes 7 to 12, aged 14-17, who might assume that the institute consistently produces top-tier national achievers, the statement emphasized.
IITPK claimed, "1384 IIT Ranks in the past 21 years by IITPK," implying that this number reflects the students coached by the institute who gained admission into the esteemed Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).
However, the advertisement failed to clarify that not all 1384 students were admitted to IITs. By stating 'IIT Ranks', the institute misled consumers into believing that these individuals exclusively gained entry into IITs, thus inflating its claimed success rate. An investigation by the CCPA revealed that the list provided by the institute included students accepted into a range of institutions, including IITs, IIITs, NITs, BITS, Manipal University, VIT Vellore, PICT Pune, MIT Pune, VIT Pune, among others.
The institute further made bold assertions such as "Highest success ratio year after year," "Best success ratio for 21 years," and "Success Ratio at 61 per cent" in its advertisements. These claims were made without any supporting evidence, comparative analysis, or verification from third parties to back them up. This approach misleads potential students and parents by failing to provide essential information upfront, the statement noted.
The action taken against the coaching institute aims to ensure that no misleading or false advertisements are made concerning any goods or services that contravene the provisions of the Consumer Protection Act, the statement clarified.
To date, the CCPA has issued 46 notices to various coaching institutes for misleading advertisements. The authority has imposed penalties totaling Rs 77.6 lakh on 24 coaching institutes and has instructed them to cease the misleading advertisements.
