In re Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA Delhi)
The present matter concerns proceedings initiated by the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 against Raising Superstars Enterprises Private Limited in relation to advertisements published on its website for the “Prodigy Framework Program.” The case originated from a complaint received from the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), alleging dissemination of misleading advertisements containing specific developmental claims, namely “crawling at 3 months,” “walking at 8 months,” and “using 200+ vocabulary by 18 months.”
Upon preliminary inquiry under Section 19 of the Act, the CCPA formed a prima facie view that the claims, presented as programme-linked outcomes, warranted examination under Sections 2(28), 2(47), and 2(9) of the Act. A Show Cause Notice was issued on 17 May 2022. The Opposite Party denied the allegations, asserting that the claims were based on scientific literature and parental testimonials, and that disclaimers had been added clarifying that results were not guaranteed and varied from child to child. It stated that the impugned content had been modified or removed and that expert professionals were involved in programme design.
During hearings, the CCPA directed the Opposite Party to furnish third-party scientific studies, empirical evidence, expert credentials, enrolment data, monetization details, and programme structure. The Authority also noted prima facie non-compliance with Rule 4 of the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020 regarding mandatory disclosures and grievance redressal mechanisms.
