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Indian govt moves Supreme Court after Delhi ruling to retender consular services
This will include service at the Indian missions in the UAE, along with those in Kuwait, Singapore, and Australia
- PUBLISHED: Fri 17 Jul 2026, 2:39 PM UPDATED: Fri 17 Jul 2026, 7:28 PM
The Indian government has approached the Supreme Court challenging Delhi High Court’s ruling which quashed the Indian mission’s process of awarding a tender for outsourcing consular services in four countries including the UAE.
A lawyer for the central government mentioned the case on Friday morning and the court has agreed to look into the matter on Monday.
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This move comes just days after the Delhi High Court ruled that there should be a retendering procedure for outsourcing the consular services. This will include service at the Indian missions in the UAE, along with those in Kuwait, Singapore, and Australia.
The Delhi High Court's decision has thrown consular services into disarray, impacting millions of Indians worldwide. In the UAE, where over 3.5 million Indian expatriates reside, the disruption has been widespread. After the existing contract with service providers, BLS International and SGIVS Global, expired on June 30, the Indian missions took over the consular and visa services on July 1. This is the first time in 17 years that the missions have directly been involved with these services.
An appointment-only system was introduced through a new official portal with limited number of slots. Meanwhile, several residents have praised the staff of Consulate General of India in Dubai and the Embassy of India in Abu Dhabi for going the extra mile to help those who needed services during the peak summer travel season.
The tendering process
The crisis stems from a tender issued in November 2025 to outsource passport, visa, and attestation services, which had been handled for over a decade by BLS International and SGIVS Global
Kerala-based Alhind Tours and Travels LLC emerged as the lowest bidder and was awarded the contract to take over operations on July 1, 2026. However, two unsuccessful bidders, E Trav Tech and Verasys, challenged the evaluation process in the Delhi High Court, alleging arbitrariness and lack of transparency.
The court ruled in favour of the unsuccessful bidders and directed the Ministry of External Affairs to issue fresh tenders within one month. The Indian government has argued in its Supreme Court plea that the High Court's decision has rendered services "almost dysfunctional," as the transition to a new provider has been stalled while the previous contracts have expired.
Meanwhile, over 16 centers by service contract winners Alhind remain fully ready but empty across the UAE. The company rolled out its consular services for Indian expats in Sri Lanka as scheduled earlier this month.
With the situation remaining fluid and the Supreme Court set to hear the government's appeal, the nearly 3.5 million Indian expats in the UAE continue to navigate a system in flux, hoping for a swift resolution to the legal stalemate.
