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Union Cabinet Approves Supreme Court Judge Strength Boost from 33 to 37

The Union Cabinet led by PM Narendra Modi has approved increasing the Supreme Court's judge strength from 33 to 37, excluding the Chief Justice of India. The decision aims to enhance the court's efficiency and ensure speedy justice. An amendment bill will be introduced in Parliament to modify the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956. The additional costs for salaries and facilities will be covered by the Consolidated Fund of India.

Key Points: Supreme Court Judge Strength Increased to 37

  • Cabinet approves raising Supreme Court judge strength to 37
  • Amendment bill to be introduced in Parliament
  • Aimed at improving efficiency and speedy justice
  • Expenditure to be met from Consolidated Fund of India
2 min read

Union Cabinet approves proposal to increase judge strength of Supreme Court from 33 to 37

The Union Cabinet approves increasing Supreme Court judges from 33 to 37, excluding the CJI. PM Modi-led decision aims to speed up justice delivery.

"The increase in the number of Judges will allow the Supreme Court to function more efficiently and effectively, ensuring speedy justice. - Ashwini Vaishnaw"

New Delhi, May 5

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the proposal for increasing the number of Supreme Court Judges by four from the present 33 to 37, excluding the Chief Justice of India.

The Union Cabinet approved the proposal to introduce the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026 in Parliament to amend the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956, for increasing the number of Judges of the Supreme Court of India by four from the present 33 to 37.

Briefing reporters on the decisions of the Union Cabinet, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the increase in the number of Judges will allow the Supreme Court to function more efficiently and effectively, ensuring speedy justice.

The expenditure on the salaries of Judges and supporting staff and other facilities will be met from the Consolidated Fund of India.

Article 124 (1) in the Constitution of India provides that there shall be a Supreme Court of India consisting of a Chief Justice of India and, "until Parliament by law prescribes a larger number, of not more than seven other Judges...".

An act to increase the strength of the judges of the Supreme Court of India was enacted in 1956 vide The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act 1956. Section 2 of the Act provided for the maximum number of Judges (excluding the Chief Justice of India) to be 10, an official release said.

The Judge strength of the Supreme Court of India was increased to 13 by The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Act, 1960, and to 17 by The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Act, 1977. The working strength of the Supreme Court of India was, however, restricted to 15 Judges by the Cabinet, excluding the Chief Justice of India, till the end of 1979, when the restriction was withdrawn at the request of the Chief Justice of India.

The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Act, 1986 further augmented the Judge strength of the Supreme Court of India, excluding the Chief Justice of India, from 17 to 25. Subsequently, The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Act, 2008, further augmented the Judge strength of the Supreme Court of India from 25 to 30.

The Judge strength of the Supreme Court of India was last increased from 30 to 33 (excluding the Chief Justice of India) by further amending the original act vide The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Act, 2019.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
This is welcome but I hope the government also clears pending appointments. Vacancies in High Courts and lower judiciary are a bigger problem. 4 more judges in SC is good but what about the 400+ vacancies in High Courts? 😕
V
Vikram M
The Supreme Court needs more benches to clear the backlog. 4 additional judges will help, but we need at least 50-60 judges for a country of 140 crore people. The UK has 12 judges for 6.7 crore people. Simple math! 🤔
S
Sneha F
Good move by the Cabinet. But I hope these appointments are based on merit, not connections. We need judges who understand technology, environmental issues and cyber crimes. The old guard needs to make way for fresh thinking. Wishing the new appointees well! 🙏
R
Rajesh Q
Every government since independence has increased SC judge strength. This is routine. But what about digitisation? The Supreme Court should mandate video conferencing for all cases, use AI for legal research, and create special benches for commercial disputes. That will reduce pendency faster than just adding judges.
M
Michael C
As someone who follows Indian legal developments, I think this is sensible. But compared to the US Supreme Court (9 judges) or UK Supreme Court (12 judges), India's ratio of judges to cases is still very low. The judge-to-population ratio in India is among the lowest in the world. This is a small step.

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