In re matter of Career Line Coaching (CLC) Sikar (CCPA Delhi)
The Central Consumer Protection Authority initiated suo motu proceedings against Career Line Coaching (CLC), Sikar, over allegedly misleading advertisements published on its website and in a newspaper on 16 February 2025. The advertisements claimed “1650+ CLCians in MBBS, IIT & Others”, “2 CLCians in NEET AIR Top 100”, “3 CLCians at AIIMS Delhi”, “6 CLCians scored 710+ marks”, and “7 Times result growth in AIR-1000”, while prominently displaying photographs and names of successful candidates. The CCPA observed that the advertisements simultaneously promoted various coaching programmes but failed to disclose the specific courses attended by the featured students. Notices were issued under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 and the Guidelines for Prevention of Misleading Advertisements and Endorsements for Misleading Advertisements, 2022. The institute responded that the claims were based on publicly available NEET and JEE results and institutional data accumulated since 1996, asserting there was no intention to mislead consumers. However, the CCPA found that the institute failed to provide documentary evidence substantiating the claims despite multiple opportunities during inquiry and investigation.
The Director General (Investigation) reported that the institute failed to furnish enrolment forms, fee receipts, consent records, course details, and other evidence supporting the impugned claims. The report also stated that CLC continued to display the advertisements on its official platforms even after initiation of proceedings. During hearings, the institute argued that terms such as “with XII”, “fresher”, and “repeaters” were commonly understood within the student community and that space constraints prevented disclosure of course details in advertisements. It also stated that some successful students, including a NEET rank holder, had enrolled only in test series courses. The CCPA rejected these explanations, observing that disclosure of the specific course attended, duration, and nature of enrolment was material information for prospective students and parents, particularly because the advertisements targeted minor consumers preparing for NEET and IIT-JEE examinations.
