A district consumer court in Madhya Pradesh has issued a notice to the Byju’s manager and its promoter, Shah Rukh Khan, for alleged “fraudulent behaviour” and “unfair trade practise,” and ordered them to return the fees as well as pay compensation.
The order came after an UPSC aspirant filed a complaint against the giant Ed-tech unicorn. Priyanka Dikshit, who started her preparation for the competitive exam in 2021, said in her complaint that she didn't receive the coaching facility from the platform for which she had paid around ₹1.8 lakh.
She claimed that despite assurances of a refund, the fee amount was not refunded. Following that, the woman filed a complaint alleging that she was encouraged to enroll in Byju’s coaching (course) by false and misleading online advertisements placed on behalf of opposing parties.
“ ₹1.08 lakh in fees deposited by complainant at the time of admission in 2021 must be returned along with 12 per cent annual interest, while ₹5,000 must be given to her as litigation cost and ₹50,000 as compensation for financial and mental agony," said the court .
Earlier the complainant named Shah Rukh Khan as one of the respondents, claiming that she enrolled in the firm’s coaching course to prepare for the UPSC's civil services exams after being swayed by an advertisement published on January 13, 2021.
The court also ordered that the amount be paid to Dixit 'jointly or severally' by the local manager of Byju’s and actor Khan.
“Since the respondents (Byju’s manager and actor Shah Rukh Khan) remained absent even after notices in the case were served and no reply was submitted on their behalf, unilateral action was taken against them,” the order copy obtained by IANS stated.
Suresh Kanga, Dixit’s lawyer, stated that the court has issued notices to Byju’s Indore-based manager and actor Shah Rukh Khan, instructing them to comply with the order within 30 days.
“Because the court has requested that both respondents comply with its order within the next 30 days, we will await their response.” If not, we will take further action,” Advocate Kanga told IANS over the phone on Sunday.
