New Delhi, Feb 14 (IANS) The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has imposed a penalty of Rs 3 lakh on IITian’s Prashikshan Kendra Pvt. Ltd. (IITPK) for advertising misleading claims regarding the results of the IIT- JEE examination to lure young students, according to an official statement issued on Friday.
The institute’s advertisements prominently featured titles such as “IIT Topper” and “NEET Topper” alongside the bold numbers ‘1’ and ‘2’ in front of candidate names and pictures. This misrepresentation was designed to create the deceptive impression that these students had secured All India Rank in the respective examinations. The institute deliberately concealed that students were merely toppers within the institute, not at the national level.
This misrepresentation of facts can significantly influence the decisions of students who are the target audience (primarily students of classes 7th to 12th, aged 14-17) who are likely to assume that the institute consistently produces top national performers, the statement points out.
IITPK also claimed, “1384 IIT Ranks in the past 21 years by IITPK,” suggesting that as many students coached by the institute secured admission into the prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).
The advertisement did not clarify that not all 1384 students were selected for IITs. By using the phrase ‘IIT Ranks’, the institute misled consumers into believing that these students exclusively secured admission into IITs, thereby exaggerating its success rate. Upon investigation, the CCPA (Central Consumer Protection Authority) found that the list provided by the institute included students admitted to a variety of institutions, including IITs, IIITs, NITs, BITS, Manipal University, VIT Vellore, PICT Pune, MIT Pune, VIT Pune, and other educational institutions.
The institute also used bold claims 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 statements were presented without any supporting data, comparative analysis or third-party verification to substantiate these claims. This strategy misleads potential students and parents by not presenting crucial information upfront, the statement added.
The action against the coaching institute has been taken to ensure that no false or misleading advertisement is made of any goods or services which contravenes the provisions of the Consumer Protection Act, the statement said.
The CCPA has so far issued 46 notices to various coaching institutes for misleading advertisements. The CCPA has imposed penalties to the tune of Rs 77.6 lakh on 24 coaching institutes and directed them to discontinue the misleading advertisements.
–IANS
sps/svn
