India studying implications of US Supreme Court ruling on Trump tariffs
In its first official response, India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry said in a statement that it has taken note of the US Supreme Court judgment on tariffs yesterday, as well as subsequent announcements by the US administration.
India today (21 February) said it is closely studying the developments and possible implications of a recent ruling by the Supreme Court of the United States that struck down President Donald Trump's sweeping global tariffs.
In its first official response, India's Ministry of Commerce and Industry said in a statement that it has taken note of the US Supreme Court judgment on tariffs yesterday, as well as subsequent announcements by the US administration.
"We are studying all these developments for their implications," the ministry said, referring to both the court's verdict and President Trump's remarks at a press conference following the decision.
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In a 6–3 verdict, the US Supreme Court ruled that Trump's global tariffs violated federal law. Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for the majority, held that the measures exceeded the scope of the law under which they were imposed.
Reacting to the ruling, Trump described it as a "terrible decision" and announced a fresh 10% global tariff, invoking Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974. He said he would sign an executive order to implement the new levy with immediate effect.
According to Indian media reports, an Indian delegation is scheduled to travel to Washington on Sunday (22 February) for three days of talks aimed at finalising the legal framework for a bilateral trade agreement.
Prior to the court's order, discussions had reportedly focused on reducing US tariffs on Indian goods from 25% to 18%. Following the court ruling, the applicable US tariff rate on India is expected to come down to 10%.
The US had earlier rolled back an additional 25% tariff imposed on India over its purchase of Russian oil.
Earlier this month, India and the United States agreed in principle to sign a trade deal under which India would purchase $500 billion worth of US products, while Washington would lower tariffs on Indian exports from 50% to 18%.
However, the agreement has not yet been officially signed.
Indian government officials said that market access concessions agreed under the proposed deal would come into effect once the legal agreement is finalised and signed.
