Supreme Court refuses to interfere with Delhi HC decision on CPV tenders in four Indian missions

Supreme Court of India. File | Photo credit: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar

The Supreme Court on Monday (July 20, 2026) refused to interfere with the Delhi High Court’s decision to set aside tenders for the outsourcing of consular, passport and visa (CPV) services at Indian missions in Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Singapore and Canberra.

A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said the Union government, through the Ministry of External Affairs, can evolve a temporary mechanism to provide services “in a manner that is suitable” until re-allocation of the job is made to the lowest bidder (L1) after the completion of fresh tendering.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the government, said the High Court had erred in holding that the selection process was finalized on the basis of individual eligibility of the candidates.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who appeared for one of the failed bidders who successfully approached the High Court, said the lower bids were ignored.

However, Justice Joymalya Bagchi referred to the Supreme Court’s observation that the conditions governing the evaluation of bids presented an “unworkable situation”.

To avoid further disruption of CPV services, the court ordered that the Department may temporarily continue to engage existing contractors or successful bidders from an earlier tender until a new Request for Proposal with a new work assignment is filed.

The court said existing operators or current bidders can accept the interim arrangement at their own risk and will depend on the final outcome of the new tender, which must be completed within three months.

On July 15, the High Court canceled the tender for CPV services to four missions on the grounds that the technical evaluation of the bidders was not transparent and unfair. The High Court directed the department to submit fresh Requests for Proposals (RFPs) within a month.

Published – 20 Jul 2026 19:33 IST