Bill To Increase Number Of Supreme Court Judges Introduced In Lok Sabha
The Indian government has introduced a bill in the Lok Sabha to formalize an increase in the Supreme Court's sanctioned judge strength from 34 to 38. This legislative move follows a presidential ordinance issued in May to address the court's capacity.
Why it matters
Increasing the number of judges is a critical step in addressing judicial backlog and improving the efficiency of India's highest court.
A Bill to increase the strength of Supreme Court judges was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Monday (July 20) in the ongoing Monsoon Session of the Parliament. Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal introduced the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026, a bill to further amend the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956. It seeks to replace an ordinance which increased the number of Supreme Court judges from 34 to 38 including the Chief Justice Off India.For context, the President of India had in May promulgated an Ordinance to increase the number of Supreme Court Judges from 33 to 37, excluding the Chief Justice of India.Pursuant to this the Supreme Court now has a sanctioned strength of 38 judges, including the CJI.
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