Indian Government weighing impact of U.S. Supreme Court tariff ruling: Commerce Ministry

The Indian government is studying the developments on the U.S. tariffs and their implications, the Commerce Ministry said on Saturday (February 21, 2026).

“We have noted the U.S. Supreme Court judgement on tariffs yesterday (Friday). U.S. President Donald Trump has also addressed a press conference in this regard. Some steps have been announced by the U.S. administration. We are studying all these developments for their implications,” the Ministry said.

Also read: U.S. Supreme Court rejects tariffs LIVE

In a major setback to Mr. Trump’s pivotal economic agenda for his second term, the U.S. Supreme Court, in a 6-3 verdict written by Chief Justice John Roberts, ruled that the tariffs imposed by the President on nations around the world were illegal and that he had exceeded his authority when he imposed the sweeping levies.

Later, Mr. Trump’s proclamation, dated February 20, said: “I impose, for a period of 150 days, a temporary import surcharge of 10% ad valorem on articles imported into the United States, effective February 24, 2026”.

The U.S. had imposed a reciprocal tariff of 25% on India in August.

Later, an additional 25% was imposed for buying Russian crude oil, taking the total tariffs on India to 50%. Earlier this month, both countries agreed to finalise an interim trade deal, under which Washington will cut down the tariffs to 18%.

So far, the punitive 25% has been removed. The remaining 25% exists.

After the proclamation, the tariffs on Indian goods will now be 10%. The 10% levy is over and above the existing MFN or import duties in the U.S.

In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on tariffs, Mr. Trump said there is no change in the trade deal with India and emphasised that the India deal is on.

To finalise the legal text for the first phase of the bilateral trade agreement, the Indian team is scheduled to meet its counterparts in Washington from February 23, 2026.

During 2021-25, the U.S. was India’s largest trading partner in goods. The U.S. accounts for about 18% of India’s total exports, 6.22% in imports and 10.73% in bilateral trade.

In 2024-25, the bilateral trade touched $186 billion ($86.5 billion exports and $45.3 billion imports).