Lok Sabha passes Bill to increase Supreme Court judge strength to 38

The Lok Sabha on Monday passed the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026 by voice vote.

The Bill raises the sanctioned judge strength of the Supreme Court from 33 to 38 (including the Chief Justice of India).

It was moved by Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal. It amends Section 2 of the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956, substituting "thirty-seven" for "thirty-three."

According to the Statement of Objects and Reasons of the Bill, the Supreme Court had 92,101 pending cases as on January 1, 2026. Despite operating at a near-full sanctioned strength of 34 judges since 2019, the Court recorded 75,410 new filings in 2025 against 65,615 disposals. The government cited this gap, along with the need for longer-sitting Constitution Benches, to seek the additional judges.

The Bill's Financial Memorandum puts the recurring cost of the additional judges and their staff at about ₹10.57 crore a year, along with a one-time cost of about ₹3.47 crore for official residences and vehicles.

The proposal to increase the strength of the Supreme Court from 34 to 38 judges was approved by the Union Cabinet on May 5 before the Ordinance was promulgated on May 16.

This will be the Court's first change in sanctioned strength via an Act of Parliament since 2019, when it was last increased from 31 to 34.

When the Supreme Court was established in 1950, it had 8 judges, including the CJI. The number was increased to 11 in 1956, 14 in 1960, and 18 in 1977. It was restricted to 15 judges by the Cabinet till the end of 1979 when the restriction was withdrawn at the request of the then CJI. It was later increased from 18 to 26 in 1986, and from 26 to 31 in 2009.

[Read Bill text as introduced in Lok Sabha]