As the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday struck down President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs, Justice Brett Kavanaugh referred to the tariffs imposed on India for Russian oil purchases in his dissenting opinion.

Mr. Trump had imposed 25% reciprocal tariffs on India and an additional 25% punitive tariff for Delhi’s purchases of Russian oil.

In a 6-3 vote on Friday, the judges found that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) does not authorise the imposition of duties.

Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel A. Alito Jr. and Kavanaugh dissented in the court’s decision.

“As with tariffs on foreign imports historically, the IEEPA tariffs on foreign imports at issue in this case implicate foreign affairs. According to the Government, the President has leveraged the IEEPA tariffs into trade deals with major trading partners, including China, the United Kingdom, and Japan, among other countries.”

“….To that end, on August 6, 2025, the President imposed tariffs on India for “directly or indirectly importing Russian Federation oil”… And on February 6, 2026, the President reduced the tariffs on India because, according to the Government, India had “committed to stop directly or indirectly importing Russian Federation oil,” he wrote.

-PTI