New Delhi: The Lok Sabha on Monday passed the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026, replacing an earlier executive ordinance that increased the sanctioned strength of the apex court from 34 to 38 judges, including the Chief Justice of India. The legislation was cleared without debate as opposition members continued raising slogans over issues concerning the NEET examination paper leak and alleged irregularities in Ram temple donations. A statutory resolution moved by opposition parliamentarians denouncing the promulgation of the executive ordinance was also rejected by a voice vote.
Following introductory remarks by Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, the Chair called upon members to speak on the statutory resolution. However, as persistent sloganeering disrupted proceedings, the bill was put to a voice vote and subsequently passed before the House was adjourned for the day. Introduced in Parliament on July 20 following May’s cabinet approval and subsequent ordinance, the measure seeks to address severe docket management challenges and clear mounting case backlogs across the judicial system. Five judges have already been appointed under the expanded sanctioned quota.
According to official figures presented in the legislation, the Supreme Court had 92,101 cases pending as of January 1. Despite operating near full capacity with 34 judges since 2019, the apex court recorded 75,410 fresh filings in 2025 against 65,615 disposals, creating a persistent gap between institution and resolution. Government officials maintained that expanding the judicial bench provides an urgent, viable solution to reduce delays while enabling the Chief Justice of India to regularly constitute constitutional benches for cases involving substantial questions of law.
