Big judiciary move: Why the Centre increased Supreme Court judge strength from 33 to 37

New Delhi: The Union government has officially increased the sanctioned strength of judges in the Supreme Court of India from 33 to 37, excluding the Chief Justice of India, through a new ordinance approved by President Droupadi Murmu.

The move comes amid growing concerns over the rising backlog of cases in the apex court, which currently has more than 92,000 pending matters.

Ordinance approved by President

The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Ordinance, 2026 received presidential assent and was officially notified in the Gazette of India on Saturday.

The ordinance amends the existing Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956 by replacing the sanctioned number of judges from 33 to 37.

The Centre issued the ordinance under Article 123 of the Constitution since Parliament is not currently in session.

Why the strength was increased

The decision follows a proposal approved earlier by the Union Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi after a formal request from Chief Justice of India Surya Kant. The government stated that the increase is intended to ensure faster disposal of cases and improve judicial efficiency.

The Supreme Court has repeatedly faced challenges in constituting larger Constitution Benches because of the shortage of judges and increasing workload.

More appointments expected soon

With the new sanctioned strength rising to 37 judges, the Supreme Court is expected to witness a major round of judicial appointments in the coming months.

Several vacancies are already expected due to upcoming retirements of senior judges later this year. Officials said the expanded strength could result in as many as 10 vacancies being filled during the tenure of CJI Surya Kant.

The Supreme Court originally started functioning in 1950 with a sanctioned strength of eight judges, including the Chief Justice of India. Over the decades, the number has gradually increased in response to growing litigation and rising case pendency.

The previous increase came in 2019, when Parliament raised the sanctioned strength from 30 to 33 judges. The latest expansion marks another major step aimed at strengthening India’s judicial system and reducing delays in the delivery of justice.