Delhi High Court cancels Alhind contract for Indian consular services in UAE
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The Delhi High Court has cancelled the contract awarded to Alhind Tours and Travels LLC to operate Indian passport, visa and consular services in the UAE, ordering India’s Ministry of External Affairs to restart the procurement process.
The ruling, issued on Wednesday, July 15, also set aside the tender process for Consular, Passport and Visa services at Indian missions in Kuwait, Singapore and Canberra.
The court directed the government to issue fresh Requests for Proposal for all four missions within one month.
The judgment came after petitions filed by E Trav Tech Limited and Verasys Systems, which challenged the technical evaluation used during the bidding process.
The court found that the evaluation could not be sustained in law and nullified the contracts awarded to the selected bidders.
“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 court said in its judgment.
The Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi had issued the tender in November 2025 for outsourcing passport, visa and other consular services. Kerala-based Alhind was selected after submitting the lowest financial bid and was due to begin operations across the UAE from July 1.
The rollout was delayed after unsuccessful bidders challenged the process in court, putting the launch of Alhind’s Indian Consular Application Centres on hold.
Since early July, the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Consulate General of India in Dubai have been handling passport, visa and attestation services directly from their premises. It is the first time in 17 years that the missions have managed these services in-house.
While ordering a fresh tender, the High Court said existing service providers may continue until the new procurement process is completed so that public services are not disrupted.
The judgment did not specify who should be treated as the existing service provider.
BLS International and SGIVS Global Services operated passport and attestation centres in the UAE until their contracts expired on June 30.
Since then, the Embassy and Consulate have been providing limited appointment-based and walk-in services, leaving it to the authorities to decide how services will be managed during the interim period.
The court also disposed of all pending applications linked to the case.
Applicants currently need to book appointments for passport and other consular services through the official online portal. The Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi accepts limited walk-in applications on weekdays, while the Consulate General in Dubai continues to provide services by appointment only.