'Studying the Developments': Commerce Ministry on US Supreme Court's Ruling on Trump Tariffs

New Delhi: The Union commerce ministry on Saturday (February 21) said that it was "studying" the developments for the implications of the United States Supreme Court's decision to strike down US President Donald Trump's sweeping reciprocal tariffs announced over the course of last year.

"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 of Commerce said in a statement.

The statement comes hours after Union minister Pralhad Joshi told reporters, “I have read in the media that the US top court has given some judgment and the Indian government will study that, and whatever the reaction needs to be given, that will be given by the Commerce Ministry and MEA, not by me.”

The US Supreme Court struck down Trump's global tariffs on Friday, February 20, handing him a significant loss that sparked a furious attack on the court he helped shape. The US top court's decision upended the set of tariffs that the US president rolled out using the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA.

Also read: As US Supreme Court Strikes Down Trump Tariffs, What We Know So Far

Following the judgement, Trump said he was “absolutely ashamed” of some justices who ruled against him, calling them “disloyal to our Constitution” and “lapdogs” and he even raised the spectre of foreign influence without citing any evidence.

It wasn’t immediately clear how the decision restricting Trump’s power to unilaterally set and change tariffs might affect trade deals with other countries.

However, Trump has pledged to impose a new global 10% tariff under a law that is restricted to 150 days and has never been used to apply tariffs before.

Among other countries, India faced one of the highest IEEPA tariffs, including an additional 'penalty'. After Liberation Day, Trump had slapped a 25% levy on Indian imports – and later added another 25% for the country’s purchases of Russian oil, while also citing the emergency powers law, bringing the total to 50%. This was reduced to 18% as part of a bilateral trade deal, whose working was still being negotiated.

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