The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has imposed a penalty of ₹15 lakh on Delhi-based coaching institute Vajirao & Reddy Institute for publishing misleading advertisements. The Authority said the institute claimed credit for the success of candidates who cleared the UPSC Civil Services Examination 2023, many of whom had enrolled only for mock interview sessions. This is part of a broader crackdown against IAS Coaching Institutes for misleading ads and so far the Authority has issued 57 notices to coaching institutes across the country for misleading advertisements and unfair trade practices, with penalties totalling over ₹1.24 crore imposed on 29 institutes.
Shortly after the results were declared, the Vajirao and Reddy Institute claimed on its official website, on April 16, 2024, that it had produced “over 645 selections out of 1,016 vacancies”, with “6 in Top 10 AIR” and “35 in Top 50 AIR”.
These claims appeared alongside ads for its regular courses, creating the impression that successful candidates had been trained by the institute through all three stages -- Preliminary, Mains, and Interview.
The CCPA found this to be a deliberate misrepresentation as a significant number of candidates had signed up only for the “Interview Guidance Programme” or “Mock Interview”, meaning they had already independently cleared the first two stages before approaching the institute. A further 431 enrolment forms neither specified the course enrolled in nor carried a date of filling. The institute failed to produce fee receipts or other corroborative documents.
“Non-disclosure of such information creates a misleading impression that the successful candidates were trained by the Institute across all stages of the examination,” the CCPA said in a statement.
What makes the case more serious is that this is not the first time the institute has faced regulatory action. It was penalised ₹7 lakh for similar violations in its advertisements related to the UPSC CSE 2022 results. The repeat offence led the CCPA to treat this as a subsequent contravention and impose a steeper penalty.
With roughly 11 lakh candidates applying for the civil services exams every year, the authority noted the scale of potential harm, as students and families invest time and money, guided by advertisements that do not present the complete picture.
Published on February 23, 2026