India, May 31 -- The Central Consumer Protection Authority has imposed a penalty of Rs 7 lakh on Vajiram and Ravi IAS Study Centre for publishing misleading advertisements, which claimed credit for candidates who cleared the UPSC Civil Services Examination 2023, most of whom had enrolled only in its free interview guidance programme.

The regulator found that a majority of candidates cited in the institute's advertisements had enrolled only in its free interview guidance programme (IGP), a short-duration course that begins only after candidates have already cleared Prelims and Mains on their own.

The institute had claimed on its official website, shortly after results were declared, that "8 Rank Holders in the Top 10" and "37 Rank Holder...