New Delhi: The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has issued notices to centres for claims and trade practices related to IIT-JEE and NEET examinations. It claimed that violations were observed after the declaration of results for these competitive exams, and also advised all coaching centres to “strictly” adhere to the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, and the Guidelines for the Prevention of Misleading Advertisements in the Coaching Sector, 2024.
The CCPA has issued 49 notices and imposed a total penalty of ₹77.60 lakhs on 24 coaching centres over the past three years. The authority directed these centres to discontinue misleading advertisements and unfair trade practices. The notices were issued to centres offering services for competitive exams, including UPSC CSE, IIT-JEE, NEET, RBI, and NABARD.
The CCPA observed that coaching centres are not adhering to the Guidelines for the Prevention of Misleading Advertisements in the Coaching Sector, 2024, following the declaration of results for examinations such as IIT-JEE and NEET. The authority issued notices to a few coaching institutes for violations identified after these results.
The notices pertain to guaranteed placement or selection, assurance of rank in JEE/NEET, violation of consumer rights, misleading advertisement, and unfair trade practices. These practices include promised services not provided, admission cancelled but fee not refunded, deficiency in service, and non-refund or partial refund of fees.
The claims and practices violate provisions of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, including Section 2(28) and Section 2(47). Section 2(28) pertains to misleading advertisements, and Section 2(47) addresses unfair trade practices. The Guidelines for the Prevention of Misleading Advertisements in the Coaching Sector, 2024, also apply to these violations.
The CCPA states that coaching centres must ensure representations are accurate, clear, and free from misleading claims or concealment of important information from consumers. Centres should avoid making assurances of guaranteed success and must disclose key details in advertisements, including the student’s name, rank, course type, and whether the course was paid.
Disclaimers must be prominently displayed in the same font size as other important information to ensure consumers are not misled. This requirement applies to all advertisements to maintain transparency and prevent deception.
The Guidelines for the Prevention of Misleading Advertisements in the Coaching Sector, 2024, were issued on 13th November 2024. These guidelines prohibit coaching centres from making false or misleading claims or advertisements to promote their services and from engaging in deceptive or unfair practices.
The guidelines aim to prevent exploitation of students and ensure they are not misled by false promises or compelled into unfair contracts. They supplement existing regulations and form part of the regulatory framework governing advertisements in the coaching sector.
The CCPA has issued notices and imposed penalties to address misleading advertisements, unfair trade practices, and violations of consumer rights by coaching centres. The authority’s actions are in accordance with the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, to provide accurate and truthful information to students and families.
– global bihari bureau
