Cabinet OKs Expansion of Supreme Court to 37 Judges to Tackle Backlog
Cabinet OKs Expansion of Supreme Court to 37 Judges to Tackle Backlog
India's cabinet approves boosting Supreme Court strength from 33 to 37 judges to speed up justice as pendency climbs; a bill will be introduced in Parliament.
The Union cabinet on Tuesday approved a proposal to raise the sanctioned strength of Supreme Court judges from 33 to 37, excluding the Chief Justice of India, to tackle mounting pendency and strengthen the court’s functioning. The move follows a formal request earlier this year by CJI Surya Kant to augment judicial capacity and enable regular constitution benches that hear substantial questions of law. The plan envisages an immediate addition of four judges, followed by an evaluation before any further increase.
The decision paves the way for introducing The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026 in Parliament to amend The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956. More than 92,000 cases are pending before the apex court, underscoring the urgency of boosting judicial strength.
The government framed the expansion as a step toward speedier justice and stronger pendency management. PM Narendra Modi chaired the cabinet meeting where the proposal was approved, with officials emphasizing that the increase would help form Constitution benches and reduce delays.
Constitutionally, the size of the Supreme Court is not fixed. Article 124(1) provides a Chief Justice of India and leaves Parliament to determine the number of other judges through legislation, allowing periodic revisions. The last revision in 2019 raised the strength from 30 to 33.
This expansion is part of ongoing efforts to tackle the crisis of pendency and ensure timely justice, signaling a calibrated approach to judicial strengthening with careful evaluation before any further increases.
