Studying implications of US Supreme Court tariff ruling, says Commerce Ministry

India is closely examining the implications of the recent US Supreme Court judgment striking down President Trump's reciprocal tariffs, the Piyush Goyal-led Ministry of Industry and Commerce said on Saturday.

“We have noted the US Supreme Court judgement on tariffs yesterday. President Trump has also addressed a press conference in that regard. Some steps have been announced by the US Administration. We are studying all these developments for their implications,” the ministry said in an official statement.

Also Read | Trump tariffs SC ruling: Judge refers to tariffs imposed on India for buying Russian oil in dissenting note


This marks the first formal response from New Delhi following developments in Washington that have reshaped the legal footing of US trade policy, even as the White House signalled it would press ahead with fresh duties.

The initial 50% tariffs that was slapped onto India, 25% owing to its crude oil trade with Russia, was recently slashed to 18% under the long awaited interim trade agreement with the Trump administration.

While the reciprocal component was later reduced to 18% under an interim trade understanding, the additional 25% tariffs tied to Russian oil imports were subsequently withdrawn after Washington said India had committed to stop directly or indirectly importing energy from Moscow and to expand purchases of American energy products.

Trump moves quickly after court setback

The US Supreme Court, in a 6–3 ruling, held that the Republican president had exceeded his authority by invoking the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) of 1977 to impose sweeping import tariffs.

The court said the emergency powers statute does not explicitly grant the president the authority to levy duties - a power the US Constitution assigns to Congress.

Also Read | Trump announces additional 10% global tariff after SC setback; effective Feb 24

The decision is being viewed as one of the most consequential legal setbacks of Trump’s second term and carries major implications for the future of US trade policy.

However, within hours of the ruling, Trump announced a new 10% global tariff under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 - a rarely used provision that allows the president to impose duties of up to 15% for up to 150 days to address “large and serious” balance of payments concerns.

The White House said the new levy would take effect at 12:01 a.m. ET on February 24 and would apply on top of existing import duties.