UPSC toppers restricted from earning through coaching institute ads

Indian civil service exam toppers will no longer be able to earn through advertisements of coaching institutes.

As per a report by Mint, as per new rules, successful candidates will have to sever their ties with coaching institutes after receiving their acceptance letter for the civil services.

This comes after, the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) raised concerns, labeling the utilization of Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exam toppers by these institutes as a form of "misleading ads" and "unfair trade practices" under the Consumer Protection Act of 2019.

According to the Mint report, CCPA has taken proactive measures by issuing notices to 20 IAS coaching institutes, citing misleading advertisements. Furthermore, Byju's, a prominent ed-tech firm, faced a penalty of ₹10 lakh imposed by CCPA for similar misleading ads.

Responding to the penalty, Byju's spokesperson expressed dissent, stating, "We respectfully disagree with the findings in the order and intend to appeal the same as we believe that the advertisements are not misleading." Byju's intends to appeal against the decision through the relevant appellate authority, the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC).

The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), responsible for enforcing the Central Civil Services (Conduct) Rules of 1964, has been urged by CCPA to take action. These rules explicitly prohibit government servants, including UPSC exam qualifiers turned civil servants, from engaging in trade or business activities or pursuing additional employment.

The UPSC civil service examination in India comprises three stages: the preliminary test (prelims), a series of written tests known as Mains, and finally, an interview and personality test. These recent regulatory changes seek to curtail post-selection engagements with coaching institutes, marking a notable shift in the approach toward advertising practices involving successful UPSC candidates.

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