Union Cabinet approved the proposal to
increase the number of Supreme Court judges
¨
The Union Cabinet
approved the proposal to increase the number of Supreme Court judges on 5 May
2026.
¨
According to the approved
proposal, the number of judges will be increased from 33 to 37.
¨
This number excludes the
Chief Justice of India (CJI).
¨
Including the Chief
Justice of India, the total strength of the Supreme Court will rise from 34 to
38 judges.
¨
The step aims to reduce
the burden of pending cases and speed up the disposal of cases.
¨
The Supreme Court is the
highest judicial institution in India.
Key Points
¨
The strength of Supreme
Court judges is determined under The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act,
1956.
¨
An amendment to the law
will be required to increase the number of judges.
¨
For this purpose, The
Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026 will be introduced in
Parliament.
¨
The new sanctioned
strength will come into effect after the amendment bill is passed.
¨
The move is linked to
improving judicial efficiency and reducing pending cases.
¨
At present, more than
92,000 cases are pending in the Supreme Court.
¨
The growing number of
pending cases remains a major challenge for the judiciary.
¨
Increasing the number of
judges is intended to ensure faster disposal of cases.
¨
More judges will allow
more benches to function simultaneously.
¨ The Supreme Court mainly
hears matters through Division Benches and Constitutional Benches.
¨
A Division Bench
generally consists of two or three judges.
¨ A Constitutional Bench hears important matters related to the Constitution.
¨ The new arrangement is expected to improve judicial efficiency and speed of hearings.
