Consumer protection watchdog warns coaching centres against misleading ads ahead of IIT-JEE Main results

NEW DELHI: The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) on Thursday issued a stern warning to coaching centres to avoid misleading advertisements and unfair trade practices as IIT-JEE examination results approach. The consumer rights watchdog has advised coaching institutes to strictly follow the 2024 guidelines set for such entities.

According to an official statement, coaching centres must ensure their representations are "accurate, clear, and free from misleading claims". The CCPA emphasised that advertisements should transparently disclose key details including students' names, ranks, course types, and whether courses were paid for. The authority has explicitly cautioned coaching centres against making "assurances of guaranteed success" and mandated that disclaimers be displayed prominently in the same font size as other important information.

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The CCPA has already taken significant enforcement action in this sector, issuing 49 notices and imposing penalties totalling Rs 77.60 lakh on 24 coaching centres for violations. These centres have been directed to discontinue misleading advertisements and unfair trade practices. Previous CCPA actions have targeted coaching centres offering services for various competitive examinations, including UPSC CSE, IIT-JEE, NEET, RBI, and NABARD, among others.