New Delhi buzzes with reactions to a landmark US Supreme Court decision striking down controversial tariffs. Aam Aadmi Party’s Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Mittal has warmly welcomed the verdict, calling it a pivotal moment for global trade dynamics.
Mittal detailed the backstory: On August 27, 2025, the US hiked tariffs from 25% to 50%, overriding an interim India-US trade pact that had reduced them to 18%. The Supreme Court, in a 6-3 ruling, declared President Trump’s tariff campaign illegal, violating provisions of a 1970 law meant for emergency measures.
‘We thank the US Supreme Court for this just decision,’ Mittal stated, highlighting that even two Trump-appointed justices sided with the majority. The ruling paves the way for tariffs to drop to 10%, a boon for exporters worldwide.
Opposition voices echo the sentiment. RJD MP Manoj Kumar Jha urged the Indian government for immediate clarity, lamenting the lack of ministerial statement in Rajya Sabha followed by Q&A, which fuels uncertainty.
From Patna, RJD spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwari noted Trump’s reluctance to accept the verdict despite its clarity on the tariffs’ illegality.
Congress spokesperson Surendra Rajput took a pragmatic view: ‘This is America’s internal matter. What matters is if the 18% tariff eases our traders’ burdens.’ He contrasted US judicial independence with India’s, citing Rahul Gandhi’s two-year defamation sentence in Gujarat as ‘shameful.’
As markets react positively, this decision underscores the judiciary’s role in checking executive overreach, offering relief to India-US trade ties strained by protectionism.