Two SC Justices call for permanent 5-judge Constitutional Bench; why it matters

A two-judge Supreme Court bench, comprising Justice SC Sharma and Justice Datta, has requested the Chief Justice of India to explore the possibility of setting up a permanent five-judge Constitutional Bench to deal with questions involving interpretation of the Constitution.Why this mattersConstitutional questions currently require bench formation: Under Article 145(3), cases involving a "substantial question of law as to the interpretation of the Constitution" must be heard by at least five judges.Such benches are constituted by the Chief Justice of India as required. Currently, there are 22 five-judge matters with 175 tagged matters pending in court.A permanent bench could make the process more predictable. Instead of repeatedly constituting a five-judge bench whenever a major constitutional question arises, a standing bench could hear such matters more continuously.It could also speed up constitutional litigation. Constitution Bench cases can remain pending for long periods because judges have multiple rosters and cases.