The Delhi High Court on 17 July annulled the Ministry of External Affairs’ ₹1,600-crore outsourcing tender for consular, passport and visa (CPV) services at Indian missions in Canberra, Singapore, Abu Dhabi and Kuwait, citing procedural infirmities in the technical-bid evaluation. As an immediate consequence, existing service-provider VFS Global has suspended new applications in Australia since 1 July, and walk-in capacity at Singapore’s BLS centre is severely restricted. The government has petitioned the Supreme Court for an urgent stay, arguing that continued suspension risks a backlog of more than 100,000 passport renewals and OCI endorsements for Indian diaspora communities. Hearing is set for 20 July. While renewals already lodged are being processed, applicants needing fresh visas or emergency travel documents are being instructed to book limited ‘emergency appointment’ slots directly at the high commissions, leading to multi-hour queues. Travel agents warn that peak August holiday travel could see large-scale itinerary changes for Indian nationals resident in Australia and Singapore. Multinational employers should advise travelling staff to check mission websites daily and allocate extra time for document processing or consider couriering passports to alternate missions where permissible under jurisdiction rules. Should the tender remain void, MEA may resort to short-term extensions of incumbent contracts to clear the pile-up.
Source: Business Standard / PTI
