The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has fined two of India’s well-known civil services coaching institutes — Dikshant IAS and Abhimanu IAS — ₹8 lakh each for misleading advertisements, unfair trade practices, and violation of consumer rights under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.

The punitive action follows complaints from successful UPSC candidates who accused the institutes of using their names and photographs without consent to falsely claim credit for their achievements.

This marks another stern move by the CCPA, which had earlier penalised Delhi-based Drishti IAS ₹5 lakh in October and Vision IAS ₹3 lakh in January for similar deceptive promotions.

The Dikshant IAS case

The complaint against Dikshant IAS was filed by Mini Shukla (AIR 96, UPSC CSE 2021), who alleged that the institute had used her image and name without authorisation in its advertisements.

Shukla clarified that she had never enrolled with the institute and had only appeared for a mock interview jointly conducted by Chahal Academy and Dikshant IAS.

The CCPA’s investigation revealed that Dikshant IAS had publicised “200+ Results in UPSC CSE 2021” while using photos and names of successful candidates without specifying their level of engagement. Despite multiple opportunities, the institute failed to provide credible evidence to justify its claims.

Authorities concluded that the advertisements were designed to mislead aspirants into believing Dikshant IAS played a significant role in the success of toppers whose only association with the institute was limited to interview sessions.

The Abhimanu IAS case

Similarly, Natasha Goyal (AIR 175, UPSC CSE 2022) complained that Abhimanu IAS had falsely portrayed her as its student and used her photograph in promotional materials.

The CCPA inquiry found that Abhimanu IAS had made exaggerated claims such as “2200+ Selections since Inception,” “10+ Selections in IAS Top 10,” and “1st Rank in HCS/PCS/HAS.”

The institute’s advertisements featured names and photos of multiple successful candidates across competitive exams including UPSC, HCS, RBI Grade-B, and NABARD Grade-A, but failed to clarify the true nature of their connection with the coaching centre.

Investigators discovered that of the 139 claimed selections, 88 candidates had cleared exams independently, with Abhimanu IAS’s involvement limited to mock interviews or question banks. The CCPA ruled that such omissions misled aspirants and constituted an unfair trade practice.

A widening clampdown

The CCPA’s latest action signals a widening crackdown on false advertising and unethical marketing in India’s multibillion-rupee coaching sector.

So far, the Authority has issued 57 notices to coaching institutes and imposed penalties exceeding ₹98.6 lakh on 27 of them. The regulator has also directed all errant institutions to cease misleading promotions and ensure transparency in their claims.

The CCPA reiterated that aspirants have the right to accurate information about the coaching services they pay for — and that the misuse of toppers’ names and achievements will attract strict penalties going forward.