SC to decide fate of passport and visa services at key Indian missions
The Supreme Court is set to hear on Monday a crucial appeal by the Centre challenging a Delhi High Court order that has thrown passport, visa, and consular services at Indian missions in Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Singapore, and Canberra into uncertainty, affecting millions of Indians living abroad.
The Delhi High Court on July 15 cancelled the contract awarded to Kerala-based Alhind Tours & Travels for managing Consular, Passport and Visa (CPV) services at these four missions. The court ruled that the bid evaluation process was arbitrary and failed to adequately consider national security implications, despite objections from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, informed a Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Friday that the High Court’s decision had rendered services at these missions “almost dysfunctional.” He argued that a new operator cannot begin work immediately, prompting the apex court to list the matter for hearing on July 20.
The disruption is particularly severe for the large Indian diaspora. In the UAE alone, around 4.5 million Indians could be affected, along with applicants in Kuwait, Singapore, and Australia. Services impacted include passport renewals, Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card processing, and other essential consular assistance.
While India’s e-Visa facility remains available for some travellers, it does not cover all categories or replace the need for in-person passport and OCI-related services.
The High Court had directed the Government to issue fresh Requests for Proposals (RFPs) and invite new bids within a month. However, the Centre has raised serious concerns about the immediate fallout, emphasising that outsourcing of such sensitive services involves not just technical evaluation but critical national security considerations.
