IAS Coaching Centres Making False Claims Fined Rs 8 Lakh

The Central Consumer Protection Authority has imposed heavy penalties on civil services coaching centers Dikshant IAS and Abhimanyu IAS in Delhi. The coaching centers will have to pay a penalty of 8 lakh rupees each for using the names of candidates who have cleared the UPSC exam without their permission.

CCPA found that both IAS coaching centers made huge claims about success rate without providing any reliable background information. As part of this, the two institutions campaigned for students with the highest scores in the exams to receive coaching at their centres.

Following the complaint of Mani Shukla, who rose to 96th position in All India in 2021, CCPA initiated proceedings against Dikshant. Shukla said he had no connection with the institute except participating in a mock interview organized by the institute in association with another coaching centre.

Natasha Goyal, who secured AIR 175 in 2020, filed a complaint with Abhimanyu IAS Academy. He said that Abhimanyu used his photo in his campaigns without his permission. Abhimanyu claimed that around 2,200 candidates have been placed in top ranks since the institute’s inception but did not back it up with relevant information.

The CCPA investigation revealed that more than 88 of the 139 total candidates the center claimed to have achieved ranks as part of their training achieved the ranks through their own talent and hard work.