NCPCR summons BYJU's CEO Byju Raveendran over luring parents and children into purchasing courses

Digital Desk: The NCPCR has summoned the CEO of ed-tech BYJU, Byju Raveendran, following charges that the company is engaging in unethical tactics to entice parents and children to purchase its courses. 

"The Commission came across a news story in which it was said that BYJU's sales team is engaging in unethical tactics to entice parents to purchase their courses for their children. It was also reported in the news report that several consumers claimed they were abused and duped, putting their funds and futures at risk "The NCPCR issued a statement.

"The Commission is aware that engaging in malpractices to entice parents or children into loan-based agreements and thereafter causing exploitation is against the welfare of children and in violation of the functions and powers under Sections 13 and 14 of the CPCR Act, 2005," NCPCR stated.

"The Commission is in observance that indulging in misconduct to mislead parents/children to join loan-based agreements and afterwards to cause exploitation is against the welfare of children and in execution of functions and powers under Sections 13 and 14 of CPCR Act, 2005,The Commission expects you to appear personally before it with information regarding all of the child-focused courses offered by BYJU'S, including information about the curriculum, costs, and the number of students currently enrolled in each course, the BYJU'S refund policy, the legal paperwork establishing BYJU'S as a legitimate education technology company, and all other pertinent documents regarding the accusations made in the news report at 1400 hours on December 23, 2022, to clarify any contradictions in the said subject," it stated.

It stated that Raveendran "would be susceptible to the penalties of the non-attendance as established in Rule 10 and Rule l2 of Order XVI of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908" if he disobeys the order without a valid cause. 

It has also requested all pertinent documents surrounding the assertions made in the aforementioned news story at 1400 hours on December 23 in order to clarify any differences with the situation at hand, including the legal paperwork establishing BYJU's as a legitimate ed-tech company.