New Delhi – India has shelved plans for a high-level trade delegation to Washington this week, citing uncertainty from the US Supreme Court’s rejection of President Donald Trump’s tariffs, a Trade Ministry source revealed Sunday.
The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 on February 20 that Trump exceeded authority under a 1977 emergency law, prompting his February 21 Truth Social pivot to a maximum 15 percent temporary tariff on all imports via Section 122 of the 1974 Trade Act, effective February 24. “The deferral followed bilateral talks; no rescheduled date yet,” the anonymous source said, linking it directly to the tariff flux.
The now-delayed trip aimed to seal an interim deal slashing US punitive 25 percent duties on select Indian exports – tied to New Delhi’s Russian oil buys – to 18 percent, with India pledging $500 billion in US purchases over five years, spanning energy, aircraft, metals, and tech. Trade Minister Piyush Goyal had eyed an April rollout post-visit, but the ministry is now assessing court and White House fallout; opposition Congress demands renegotiation over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pre-ruling joint statement.