New Delhi, 03 August (H.S.):

The Lok Sabha on Monday passed a bill aimed at increasing the number of judges in the Supreme Court to ensure faster disposal of pending cases and enhance judicial capacity. The bill proposes increasing the total strength of judges, including the Chief Justice of India, from 34 to 38.

The Lok Sabha passed the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026, which seeks to further amend the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956. The bill was passed without any discussion as opposition members continued their protests over various issues during the proceedings.

Despite repeated appeals from Presiding Officer Krishna Prasad Tenneti to maintain order and allow the House to function, the disruption continued. Amid the uproar, the bill was passed by voice vote.

Speaking in the Lok Sabha, Union Minister for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal said that the amendment marks an important step in the series of judicial reforms being undertaken to strengthen the justice delivery system. He said that the formation of Constitution Benches often reduces the number of judges available for hearing regular cases, creating the need for additional judicial strength.

The minister said that the bill has been brought before the House to provide legal backing to the ordinance issued in this regard. He added that the number of judges in the Supreme Court has been increased from time to time in accordance with changing requirements under Article 124 of the Constitution.

Meghwal noted that at the time of the Constitution coming into force, the Supreme Court had a sanctioned strength of eight judges, including the Chief Justice of India. The strength was subsequently increased through the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956.

The minister said that the objective of the present amendment is to effectively address the growing backlog of cases and make the functioning of the judiciary more efficient.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar