The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) on Thursday said that it has imposed a penalty of ₹5 lakh on Khan Study Group (KSG) for misleading ads and unfair trade practices.
The misleading claims made in the ads by KSG included that all the top 5 successful candidates of the UPSC Civil Services Exam 2022 are from its coaching institute. It also made a claim that 682 out of 933 selected candidates were from its institute among others.
“ In its preliminary inquiry, CCPA found out that KSG advertised various types of courses but the information with respect to the course opted by the advertised successful candidates in UPSC exam 2022 was concealed in the said advertisement,”the official statement noted. The Authority therefore issued a notice to KSG on August 3.
“The institute in its response submitted that out of 682 successful candidates showcased in the impugned advertisement by KSG, 674 took Mock Interview Program which is a free of cost program,” the statement said.
DG (Investigation) CCPA was requested for a detailed investigation into the matter.
“It was found in the investigation report that out of 682, only 8 successful candidates took guidance for additional courses that too in previous years. This fact was not disclosed in their advertisements, thereby deceiving consumers into believing that such successful candidates owe their success to the said institution,” the statement said.