The Lok Sabha has passed the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026, proposing to increase the sanctioned strength of the Supreme Court of India from 34 to 38 judges, including the Chief Justice of India, to enhance judicial capacity and address the growing backlog of cases.

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• The Lok Sabha passed the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026 on August 3, 2026, increasing the sanctioned strength of the Supreme Court from 34 to 38 judges, including the Chief Justice of India.
• The Bill was introduced by Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on July 20, 2026, following approval by the Union Cabinet in May 2026.
• The legislation replaces the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Ordinance, 2026, which had earlier increased the number of judges from 33 to 37, excluding the Chief Justice of India.
• The amendment has been introduced to strengthen the Supreme Court’s judicial capacity as the number of pending cases continues to rise across constitutional, civil, criminal, and special leave matters.
• As of January 1, 2026, the Supreme Court had 92,101 pending cases, highlighting the need for additional judges to improve the speed of justice delivery.
• Article 124 of the Constitution of India empowers Parliament to determine the number of Supreme Court judges through legislation, while defining the Court’s composition.
• The previous amendment in 2019 increased the sanctioned strength to 34 judges, including the Chief Justice, from the earlier strength of 31 judges.
• The proposed increase is expected to improve judicial efficiency, reduce case pendency, and strengthen the Supreme Court’s ability to handle an expanding volume of litigation.