Centre Challenges Delhi High Court Verdict on Overseas Passport and Visa Contracts

New Delhi: The Central government has approached the Supreme Court seeking to overturn a Delhi High Court ruling that set aside the tender process for outsourcing passport, visa and consular services at several Indian diplomatic missions, including those in the United Arab Emirates.

The appeal was mentioned before a Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Friday. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta requested an urgent hearing, arguing that the High Court’s decision could affect the ongoing management of consular services abroad. The Bench indicated that the matter would be taken up on Monday.

The Centre is challenging the High Court’s July 15 judgment, which cancelled the technical evaluation carried out for selecting private agencies to operate Consular, Passport and Visa (CPV) services at Indian missions in the UAE, Kuwait, Singapore and Canberra.

High Court Raised Questions Over Evaluation Process

In its verdict, the Delhi High Court held that the technical assessment lacked transparency and failed to provide a fair basis for evaluating competing bids.

The court observed that while bidders were eventually informed of the marks they had received, authorities did not explain how those scores had been determined. It said the absence of a transparent evaluation process prevented participating companies from understanding the reasons behind their disqualification.

The Bench also noted variations in scoring for similar proposals submitted for different Indian missions without any recorded justification.

Fresh Tender Process Ordered

The High Court subsequently cancelled the technical evaluations and directed the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to begin a fresh tender process.

Under the order, the ministry has been asked to issue new Requests for Proposal (RFPs) within one month and complete the selection process at the earliest.

The petitions that led to the ruling were filed by E Trav Tech Limited and Verasys Limited, both of which challenged their exclusion during the technical evaluation stage.

Existing Services to Continue

Although the court ordered a fresh bidding exercise, it also ensured there would be no disruption to public services.

Existing agencies providing passport, visa and consular assistance have been permitted to continue operations until new contracts are awarded. The arrangement is intended to ensure that Indian nationals living overseas continue to receive essential services without interruption.

Impact on Indian Community in the UAE

The legal dispute comes at a time when thousands of Indians in the UAE rely on outsourced centres for passport renewals, visa applications, attestation and other consular services.

While the case is now before the Supreme Court, current passport and visa services at Indian missions will continue under the interim arrangement until a final decision is taken or fresh contracts are awarded.

The Supreme Court’s ruling is expected to determine the future course of the outsourcing process for Indian diplomatic missions in the UAE and other countries covered by the tender exercise.