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The Delhi High Court has quashed the Centre’s tender for outsourcing consular, passport and visa services at four Indian missions
July 16, 2026: The Delhi High Court has set aside the Centre’s tender awarded to private firms for outsourcing Consular, Passport and Visa (CPV) services at Indian missions in Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Singapore, and Canberra. A bench of Justices Anil Kshetarpal and Shail Jain ruled that the technical evaluation process lacked transparency and fairness, relying on undisclosed standards, inconsistent marking, and unexplained deductions. The court directed the government to issue a fresh Request for Proposals (RFP) within one month.
The verdict came while hearing petitions filed by E Trav Tech Limited and Verasys Limited, which challenged their disqualification during the technical evaluation stage. The companies argued that the marks awarded to them were arbitrary and unsupported by reasons. The Centre opposed the petitions, describing them as an attempt to reopen a completed tender process, but the court held that the evaluation process violated principles of fairness and equality under Article 14 of the Constitution.
While nullifying the existing tender, the High Court allowed the current service provider to continue operations temporarily to avoid disruption of public services. The court also instructed the government to complete the fresh bidding process at the earliest to ensure uninterrupted consular, passport, and visa services at the four overseas Indian missions.