The Shubhra Ranjan IAS Study Institute, a premier UPSC coaching centre founded and run by Shubhra Ranjan, the teacher of famous UPSC toppers like Tina Dabi, has landed in trouble with the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA), with the watching imposing a Rs 2 lakh fine on the establishment for running misleading advertisements.
As per a PTI report, the CCPA has found that the institute concealed important information about the courses taken by students it claimed had cleared the prestigious UPSC Civil Services Exam (CSE) in its advertisements.
According to an official statement by CCPA, the institute’s ads claimed “13 students in the top 100”, “28 students in the top 200″, and 39 students in the top 300” in the UPSC CSE 2023, and prominently displayed successful candidates’ names and photos, adding that it used terms like “Shubhra Ranjan IAS” and “Students of Shubra Ranjan IAS” in its advertisements and letterheads, creating a deceptive impression that Shubra Ranjan is/was an IAS officer.
The consumer regulator said the advertisements violated provisions of the Consumer Protection Act of 2019 related to misleading advertisements by “deliberately concealing important information”.
The lack of proper disclosure about successful students’ course details deprived consumers of making an informed choice while selecting coaching institutes, the CCPA said, asking Shubhra Ranjan IAS Study to discontinue the misleading ads.
Earlier, on November 22, CCPA imposed a Rs 7 lakh penalty on Vajirao & Reddy Institute for misleading advertisements regarding the results of the UPSC CSE 2022. CCPA has so far issued 45 notices to various coaching institutes for misleading ads and imposed a penalty of Rs 63.60 lakh on 20 coaching institutes, directing them to discontinue the misleading advertisements.
The Department of Consumer Affairs, through the National Consumer Helpline, has successfully intervened at a pre-litigation stage to ensure justice for students and aspirants who enrolled for the UPSC Civil Services, IIT and other entrance examinations.
Shubra Ranjan, who hails from Sitapur in Uttar Pradesh, has coached dozens of UPSC rankers over the years. Some of her famous students include UPSC topper Tina Dabi, her sister Ria Dabi, and Ishita Kishore. All her students, including Tina Dabi and Ishita Kishore, have credited a major portion of their success to Shubha Ranjan’s mentorship and coaching, acknowledging her role in their UPSC success.
Contrary to rumours, Shubhra Ranjan, also known as Shubhra Deshmukh, is not an IAS officer, or even attempted the UPSC CSE at any point in her life. However, she has over 25 years of teaching experience, and teaches subjects like Political Science, International Relations, among others, to UPSC aspirants.
Fondly called ‘IAS sisters’, Tina Dabi and her sister Ria Dabi became a national sensation after both aced the UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) and became renowned IAS officers. In 2016, Tina Dabi shot to fame when she emerged as the topper in UPSC CSE, achieving the coveted All-India Rank (AIR) 1, in her first attempt.
Four years later, Tina’s younger sister Ria Dabi, repeated her older sibling’s UPSC success when she cracked the UPSC CSE 2020 with an impressive AIR 15 in her very first attempt.
Both Tina Dabi and Ria Dabi have acknowledged the pivotal role played by Shubha Ranjan’s mentorship in their UPSC success.
(With PTI inputs)
As per a PTI report, the CCPA has found that the institute concealed important information about the courses taken by students it claimed had cleared the prestigious UPSC Civil Services Exam (CSE) in its advertisements.
According to an official statement by CCPA, the institute’s ads claimed “13 students in the top 100”, “28 students in the top 200″, and 39 students in the top 300” in the UPSC CSE 2023, and prominently displayed successful candidates’ names and photos, adding that it used terms like “Shubhra Ranjan IAS” and “Students of Shubra Ranjan IAS” in its advertisements and letterheads, creating a deceptive impression that Shubra Ranjan is/was an IAS officer.
The consumer regulator said the advertisements violated provisions of the Consumer Protection Act of 2019 related to misleading advertisements by “deliberately concealing important information”.
The lack of proper disclosure about successful students’ course details deprived consumers of making an informed choice while selecting coaching institutes, the CCPA said, asking Shubhra Ranjan IAS Study to discontinue the misleading ads.
Earlier, on November 22, CCPA imposed a Rs 7 lakh penalty on Vajirao & Reddy Institute for misleading advertisements regarding the results of the UPSC CSE 2022. CCPA has so far issued 45 notices to various coaching institutes for misleading ads and imposed a penalty of Rs 63.60 lakh on 20 coaching institutes, directing them to discontinue the misleading advertisements.
The Department of Consumer Affairs, through the National Consumer Helpline, has successfully intervened at a pre-litigation stage to ensure justice for students and aspirants who enrolled for the UPSC Civil Services, IIT and other entrance examinations.
Who is Shubra Ranjan?
Shubra Ranjan, who hails from Sitapur in Uttar Pradesh, has coached dozens of UPSC rankers over the years. Some of her famous students include UPSC topper Tina Dabi, her sister Ria Dabi, and Ishita Kishore. All her students, including Tina Dabi and Ishita Kishore, have credited a major portion of their success to Shubha Ranjan’s mentorship and coaching, acknowledging her role in their UPSC success.
Contrary to rumours, Shubhra Ranjan, also known as Shubhra Deshmukh, is not an IAS officer, or even attempted the UPSC CSE at any point in her life. However, she has over 25 years of teaching experience, and teaches subjects like Political Science, International Relations, among others, to UPSC aspirants.
IAS Tina Dabi
Fondly called ‘IAS sisters’, Tina Dabi and her sister Ria Dabi became a national sensation after both aced the UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) and became renowned IAS officers. In 2016, Tina Dabi shot to fame when she emerged as the topper in UPSC CSE, achieving the coveted All-India Rank (AIR) 1, in her first attempt.
Four years later, Tina’s younger sister Ria Dabi, repeated her older sibling’s UPSC success when she cracked the UPSC CSE 2020 with an impressive AIR 15 in her very first attempt.
Both Tina Dabi and Ria Dabi have acknowledged the pivotal role played by Shubha Ranjan’s mentorship in their UPSC success.
(With PTI inputs)