- The Delhi High Court quashed the outsourcing tender for Indian passport services in the U-A-E and other regions.
- Judges ruled the technical evaluation was arbitrary and opaque, nullifying the award granted to Alhind Tours.
- The Ministry must issue fresh proposals within one month for U-A-E, Kuwait, Singapore, and Australia missions.
The Delhi High Court on July 15, 2026 quashed the tender that had handed Indian passport services in the UAE to Alhind Tours and Travels LLC. The ruling nullified the award and forced the outsourcing plan back to the starting line. It also covered Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Singapore and Canberra. The rollout stopped.
Unsuccessful bidders, E Trav Tech Limited and Verasys Systems, had taken aim at the technical evaluation after the award came through a competitive process. They said the ministry did not explain why their bids fell below the 70-mark threshold or how the scores were built. The contract was signed on May 15, 2026, and it ran for a three-year term. Alhind’s quoted price was Dh19 per application, with photos and value-added tasks included at no extra cost.
A Division Bench of Justice Anil Kshetrapal and Justice Shail Jain decided W.P.(C) 6844/2026 and connected matters. In its judgment, the court wrote:
"Accordingly, the present Petitions are allowed. The impugned technical evaluation processes are set aside. Consequently, award of tender in favour of the private Respondents shall also stand nullified."
The bench also called the evaluation exercise "arbitrary, opaque and violative of the principles of fairness and transparency." It said the marks did not show the basis for deductions or the comparison behind them. That was the problem. Numbers without reasons did not satisfy the court.
The handover had already been frozen before the ruling landed. A Supreme Court status quo order on June 24, 2026 pushed back the planned July 1, 2026 launch. From July 2, 2026, the Embassy of India in Abu Dhabi and the Consulate General in Dubai began giving limited direct services from their own premises. The missions took walk-ins on a first-served basis between 9:00 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., and collected fees in cash only.
For 17 years, outsourced centres had handled the work. BLS International managed passport and visa services, while SGIVS Global handled attestation. Their contracts expired on June 30, 2026. Alhind said it had set up 16 ICAC centres across the UAE, including Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Al Ain, Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah. One Abu Dhabi site at UW Mall covered 12,000 sq. ft. The centres stayed closed.
Passport, visa, attestation, OCI and other consular applications moved back to the two missions under limited hours. The pressure came from a large community. About 4.5 million Indian expatriates live in the UAE. Fees rose too. Standard adult passport renewal climbed from AED 285 to AED 450 on July 1, 2026, while Tatkaal services were set at AED 900. Summer travel got more expensive.
The judgment was not limited to the UAE file. It swept across the same outsourcing exercise for Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Singapore and Canberra, and it ordered a complete restart of the procurement process. That reset went beyond one contract. It reached the way the ministry had scored the bids.
| Date | Event | Immediate effect |
|---|---|---|
| May 15, 2026 | Alhind contract signed | Three-year rollout set out |
| June 24, 2026 | Supreme Court status quo order | Transition paused |
| June 30, 2026 | Earlier contracts expired | Outsourced model lapsed |
| July 1, 2026 | ICAC launch was due | Rollout postponed |
| July 2, 2026 | Direct handling began | Walk-in counters opened |
| July 15, 2026 | High Court judgment issued | Tender quashed |
Fresh Requests for Proposal must replace the quashed award
The court directed the ministry to issue fresh Requests for Proposal for all four missions within one month of the judgment. It also allowed existing incumbents to keep providing services until the new tender is finalized. That leaves the temporary mission-run arrangement in place while the procurement restarts.
