THEBUSINESSBYTES BUREAU

NEW DELHI, MAY 5, 2026

In a significant move aimed at strengthening the country’s judicial capacity and reducing pendency, the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday approved a proposal to introduce the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026 in Parliament, paving the way for an increase in the sanctioned strength of judges in the Supreme Court of India from the existing 33 to 37, excluding the Chief Justice of India.

The proposed legislation seeks to amend the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956, enabling the addition of four more judges to the apex court. This augmentation is expected to significantly enhance the Court’s efficiency and effectiveness, allowing for faster disposal of cases and ensuring more timely access to justice for citizens.

The move comes in response to the growing workload and backlog of cases before the apex court, with the government emphasizing that the expanded bench strength will help streamline judicial processes and improve overall functioning. The additional expenditure on salaries, staff, and related infrastructure will be met from the Consolidated Fund of India.

The constitutional basis for determining the strength of the apex court lies in Article 124(1) of the Constitution of India, which provides that the Supreme Court shall consist of a Chief Justice of India and such number of other judges as Parliament may by law prescribe.

Historically, the strength of the Supreme Court has been revised multiple times to keep pace with the increasing demands on the judiciary. The original Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956 had fixed the number of judges, excluding the Chief Justice of India, at 10. This was subsequently raised to 13 in 1960 and to 17 in 1977. Although the sanctioned strength stood at 17, the working strength remained capped at 15 until 1979, when the restriction was lifted at the request of the Chief Justice of India.

Further expansions followed over the decades, with the strength increased to 25 in 1986 and to 30 in 2008. The most recent revision came in 2019, when the number of judges was enhanced from 30 to 33. The latest proposal to raise the strength to 37 marks another milestone in the evolution of India’s judicial framework, reflecting the government’s continued focus on judicial reforms and timely justice delivery.