Why in the news?
The Lok Sabha passed the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026, increasing the sanctioned strength of the Supreme Court of India from 34 to 38 judges (including the Chief Justice of India (CJI)) to address rising case pendency.
Key Provisions
- Increased Strength: Raises the sanctioned strength from 34 to 38 judges.
- Replaces Ordinance: Converts the earlier ordinance into permanent law.
- Objective: Improve disposal of cases and reduce judicial backlog.
Constitutional Basis
- Article 124: Empowers Parliament to determine the number of Supreme Court judges by law.
- Governing Law: Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956.
Why is the Amendment Needed?
- Over 92,000 cases were pending in the Supreme Court (as of 1 January 2026).
- Growing gap between institution and disposal of cases.
- Increasing litigation has added pressure on the Court.
Challenges
- Sanctioned posts must be filled promptly.
- Delays in the Collegium appointment process.
- More judges require additional infrastructure and staff.
- Procedural delays and frequent adjournments remain unresolved.
Back2Basics
- Article 124: Establishes the Supreme Court and empowers Parliament to fix its strength.
- Original Strength (1950): Chief Justice + 7 judges.
- Appointment: By the President of India under the Collegium System.
- Retirement Age: 65 years.
- Evolution: Three Judges Cases
- First Judges Case (1981): Executive had primacy in appointments.
- Second Judges Case (1993): Introduced the Collegium System; judiciary gained primacy.
- Third Judges Case (1998): Expanded the Collegium to the CJI plus four senior-most Supreme Court judges.
[2014] The power to increase the number of judges in the Supreme Court of India is vested in?
(a) The President of India
(b) The Parliament
(c) The Chief Justice of India
(d) The Law Commission