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4 min read | Updated on February 23, 2026, 09:11 IST
SUMMARY
The Indian delegation, which was set to travel to Washington on February 23, will now reschedule the talks after both sides assess the legal and policy implications of the ruling.

Prime Minister Modi thanked Trump for the tariff reduction and said cooperation between the two democracies would unlock “immense opportunities” for mutual growth.
India and the United States have postponed a planned meeting of their chief negotiators in Washington to finalise the text of an interim trade agreement, amid uncertainty following a US Supreme Court ruling against President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs.
The Indian delegation had been scheduled to begin a three-day round of talks on February 23 to conclude the legal text of the first phase of the bilateral trade pact.
“With regards to the visit of the Indian team of negotiators to the US for the India-US Trade Deal, the two sides are of the view that the proposed visit of the Indian Chief Negotiator and the team be scheduled after each side has had the time to evaluate the latest developments and their implications. The meeting will be rescheduled at a mutually convenient date,” PTI quoted a source as saying.
The postponement comes after the Supreme Court of the United States delivered a 6–3 ruling that Trump had violated federal law by unilaterally imposing “reciprocal” tariffs without clear authorisation from Congress.
In the majority opinion, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that the president had asserted “the extraordinary power to unilaterally impose tariffs of unlimited amount, duration, and scope” and must identify clear congressional authorisation to exercise such authority.
The court said the emergency powers statute relied upon by the administration “falls short.”
Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh dissented.
Kavanaugh wrote that the ruling did not address how the government should return billions of dollars already collected from importers, warning that the process could be a “mess.”
Hours after the verdict, Trump announced a 10% tariff on imports from all countries, including India, effective Feb. 24 for 150 days.
On Saturday, he said he would raise that worldwide tariff to 15%.
In a proclamation titled “Imposing a Temporary Import Surcharge to Address Fundamental International Payments Problems,” Trump said he was invoking Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 to impose a temporary 10% ad valorem surcharge for 150 days.
A White House fact sheet said certain goods would be exempt because of U.S. economic needs, including some critical minerals, energy products, select agricultural items such as beef and oranges, pharmaceuticals, certain electronics and some categories of vehicles and aerospace products.
Trump defended his trade policy, saying at the White House that “nothing changes” in the trade deal with India.
“They’ll (India) be paying tariffs, and we will not be paying tariffs,” Trump said.
The Commerce Ministry said it was studying the developments and their implications.
"We have noted the US Supreme Court judgement on tariffs yesterday (Friday). US President Donald Trump has also addressed a press conference in this regard. Some steps have been announced by the US administration. We are studying all these developments for their implications," it said.
The US had previously imposed a 25% reciprocal tariff on India in August, followed by an additional 25% levy linked to India’s purchases of Russian crude oil, taking total duties to 50%.
Earlier this month, both sides agreed in principle to an interim arrangement under which Washington would reduce tariffs to 18%.
The punitive 25% surcharge was also removed.
Under Trump’s latest proclamation, tariffs on Indian goods would drop to 10% from the existing 25% during the 150-day period, before his subsequent announcement to raise the temporary surcharge to 15%.
The new levy would apply in addition to existing most-favored-nation duties.
There is no clarity on what tariff regime will apply after the 150-day period ends.
“Initially the US government said it could evoke Sections 232, 301, and 122 to counter its Supreme Court’s verdict. Now talks are on about 338. Any enduring pact between two sovereigns is not possible in such fluid situation, amid high-level of uncertainties,” Hindustan Times quoted a source as saying.
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