'Tariffs illegal, abuse of power'; US President Donald Trump faces setback from US appeals court

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump's capricious move to impose huge tariffs on countries, including India, faced a surprising setback. The US appeals court ruled that most of the tariffs announced by the US president are illegal. The court also noted that the president abused his power by unilaterally imposing the tariffs using the Emergency Economic Act.

According to the Constitution, only the legislature has the power to impose tariffs. However, the court ruled that the current tariffs can remain in place until the cases are resolved. Trump's decision to impose tariffs under the Emergency Economic Powers Act was rejected by a US federal appeals court in a 7-4 majority decision. The federal court said that decisions on tax tariffs do not fall within the president's jurisdiction and that the US Congress has the power to set levies.

Meanwhile, an indignant Donald Trump came out to criticise the court's ruling. Trump's criticism came out through a social media post, as he warned that the ruling will not be allowed to stand.