Cabinet approves plan to increase Supreme Court judges from 34 to 38

The Union Cabinet has approved a proposal to increase the number of judges in the Supreme Court of India. The current strength of the court is 34 judges, including the Chief Justice of India (CJI). The government now plans to raise this number to 38.

This decision was taken in a Cabinet meeting led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw shared the details after the meeting. He said that a new Bill will be introduced in the next session of Parliament. Once the Bill is passed, the total number of judges in the Supreme Court will increase by four.

At present, the Supreme Court has 33 judges along with the Chief Justice. The proposal aims to increase the number of judges, excluding the Chief Justice, from 33 to 37. After adding the Chief Justice, the total strength will become 38.

The government said this step is important to improve the working of the Supreme Court. With more judges, the court will be able to handle cases faster. This is expected to help reduce the large number of pending cases and ensure quicker justice for people.

Plan to improve court efficiency

The government believes that increasing the number of judges will make the Supreme Court more efficient. At present, the court handles a huge number of cases every year. Many of these cases take a long time to be decided because of the heavy workload.

By adding more judges, the court can divide the work better. This means more cases can be heard at the same time. As a result, people may not have to wait for many years to get a final decision.

The government also said that this move will help improve the quality of justice. Judges will have more time to focus on each case if the workload is shared among more members. This can lead to better and more careful decisions.

The expenses for the new judges, including their salaries and support staff, will be paid from the Consolidated Fund of India. This is the main account used by the government to manage its expenses.

The proposal will now be taken to Parliament in the form of a Bill. Members of Parliament will discuss it and vote on it. If the Bill is passed, the number of judges will officially increase.

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History of changes in judge strength

The number of judges in the Supreme Court has been increased several times in the past. When the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act was first passed in 1956, the court had a much smaller size. At that time, the maximum number of judges, excluding the Chief Justice, was only 10.

As the country grew and the number of cases increased, the need for more judges became clear. In 1960, the number was increased to 13. Later, it was raised to 17 through another amendment.

In 1986, a major change was made, and the number of judges was increased from 17 to 25. This was done to deal with the rising number of cases in the court.

In 2009, the strength was increased again from 25 to 30 judges. This showed that the workload of the court was continuing to grow over time.

The most recent change before this proposal came in 2019. At that time, the number of judges was increased from 30 to 33, excluding the Chief Justice. With the Chief Justice included, the total strength became 34.

Now, the government wants to take another step by adding four more judges. This will be done through the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026. The Bill aims to update the 1956 law to reflect the new number.

Experts believe that increasing the number of judges is a positive move, but it may not be enough on its own. They say that other reforms may also be needed to fully solve the problem of pending cases. These could include better use of technology, improved court management, and faster processes.

For now, the proposal is an important step towards improving the justice system in India. If approved by Parliament, it could help the Supreme Court work more smoothly and deliver decisions more quickly.

In simple terms, the government wants to make the top court stronger by adding more judges. This is expected to reduce delays and make it easier for people to get justice. However, the final decision will depend on Parliament, where the Bill will be discussed in detail.

The coming weeks will be important, as lawmakers consider whether this change will meet the needs of the country’s legal system.