Centre Tells Supreme Court Delhi High Court Order Has Crippled Consular and Visa Services at Four Indian Missions Abroad
The Central Government has approached the Supreme Court challenging a recent Delhi High Court judgment that set aside the award of tenders for outsourcing Consular, Passport and Visa (CPV) services at four Indian diplomatic missions. During the hearing, the Centre argued that the High Court’s order has severely disrupted essential consular and visa operations at Indian missions in Abu Dhabi (UAE), Kuwait, Singapore, and Canberra (Australia), affecting lakhs of Indian nationals, Overseas Citizens of India (OCI), and foreign visa applicants.
According to the Government, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has long relied on specialised private service providers to handle non-sovereign functions such as accepting visa and passport applications, collecting biometric data, scheduling appointments, and managing documentation. The Centre submitted that outsourcing these services is an internationally accepted practice adopted by several countries to improve efficiency and public service delivery, while sovereign decisions on issuing passports and visas continue to remain exclusively with Indian diplomatic authorities.
The dispute arose after the Delhi High Court quashed the Government’s decision awarding the contracts to selected private entities. The High Court reportedly found deficiencies in the tender evaluation process, prompting it to invalidate the selection. Challenging that ruling, the Centre has argued before the Supreme Court that the judgment has had immediate operational consequences, leaving Indian missions abroad without adequate support infrastructure to process a large volume of passport, visa, and consular requests.
In its submissions, the Government emphasized that the disruption is not merely administrative but has a direct impact on public services. Indian citizens residing overseas depend on these centres for passport renewals, emergency travel documents, attestation of documents, OCI-related services, and various consular certifications. Foreign nationals seeking Indian visas have also reportedly been affected by delays and interruptions caused by the uncertainty over service providers.
The Centre urged the Supreme Court to stay the operation of the Delhi High Court’s judgment, contending that continued enforcement of the order would further hamper the functioning of the four overseas missions. It maintained that uninterrupted consular and visa services are vital for safeguarding the interests of the Indian diaspora and maintaining India’s diplomatic and administrative commitments abroad.
The Supreme Court is now expected to examine whether interim relief should be granted to restore the existing outsourcing arrangements while the legal challenge is adjudicated. The outcome of the case could have significant implications for the Government’s procurement policies concerning overseas consular services and the manner in which future public tenders for diplomatic support functions are evaluated. Until the apex court decides the matter, the case will remain closely watched by the Ministry of External Affairs, service providers, and millions of Indian citizens who rely on consular facilities across the world.
