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The Lok Sabha passed the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026, on 3 August 2026, in under ten minutes and without debate.
The Bill raises the sanctioned strength of the Supreme Court from 34 to 38 judges, including the Chief Justice of India.
It increases the number of judges other than the Chief Justice from 33 to 37.
The Bill replaces the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Ordinance, 2026, and takes effect retrospectively from 16 May 2026.
Minister of State for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal cited pendency of cases as the reason for the increase.
Establishes the Supreme Court and provides for a Chief Justice and, until Parliament by law prescribes a larger number, up to seven other judges — which is why the strength is fixed by ordinary law rather than by constitutional amendment.
The parent Act that Parliament amends whenever the sanctioned strength of the Court is revised.
Empowers the President to promulgate an ordinance when Parliament is not in session, which is how the strength was first raised in May 2026 before this Bill replaced it.
Governs the Supreme Court's rules of practice and requires a minimum of five judges for substantial constitutional questions.
Under Article 123, the President may promulgate an ordinance when Parliament is not in session and immediate action is required. An ordinance has the same force as an Act, but it is temporary: it must be laid before both Houses when they reassemble and ceases to operate six weeks from that reassembly unless replaced by an Act. That is the sequence here — the strength was raised by ordinance in May 2026, and this Bill converts that temporary measure into permanent law, backdated to the ordinance's commencement so that appointments made in the interim remain valid.
Simple Analogy: The ordinance is a temporary bridge thrown up when the road is closed; the Act is the permanent structure built in its place before the bridge is dismantled.
GS Paper 2 > Structure, Organisation and Functioning of the Judiciary; Parliament and State Legislatures
General Awareness > Indian Polity
General Awareness > Current Affairs and Polity
General Awareness > Polity
In India, separation of judiciary from the executive is enjoined by
Answer: a Directive Principle of State Policy
Which of the following was the first High Court established in India?
Answer: Calcutta High Court
The maximum number of judges a court may have, as fixed by law, distinct from the number actually in post.
A temporary law promulgated by the President under Article 123 when Parliament is not in session, which lapses unless replaced by an Act.
A law taking effect from a date earlier than its passage, here to validate the period covered by the ordinance.
The backlog of cases awaiting disposal before a court.