President Murmu has approved an ordinance increasing the Supreme Court’s sanctioned judge strength from 33 to 37, excluding the Chief Justice of India.
Union Minister for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal on Sunday announced that President Droupadi Murmu has approved an increase in the sanctioned strength of judges in the Supreme Court through an ordinance, a move aimed at tackling rising pendency and improving the pace of justice delivery in the country’s highest court.
In a post on X, Meghwal said, “The President is pleased to increase the Judge strength of the Supreme Court from 33 to 37 Judges (Excluding the Chief Justice of India) by promulgating The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Ordinance, 2026, which has further amended the ‘Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956’.”
The ordinance raises the sanctioned strength of Supreme Court judges from 33 to 37, excluding the Chief Justice of India.
With the Chief Justice included, the total strength of the apex court will now rise to 38 judges.
According to government sources cited in multiple reports, the move has been undertaken in view of the growing workload of the Supreme Court and the steady rise in pending cases.
CABINET HAD CLEARED THE PROPOSAL EARLIER
The development comes days after the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved a proposal to amend the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956.
The Cabinet on May 5 cleared the proposal for introducing the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026, in Parliament to increase the number of judges in the apex court by four.
The government has maintained that the expansion in judicial strength is necessary to ensure quicker disposal of cases and reduce delays in hearings.
The increase is also expected to strengthen judicial infrastructure and improve access to timely justice for litigants across the country.
The Supreme Court’s strength was last revised in 2019, when Parliament amended the law to increase the number of judges from 30 to 33, excluding the Chief Justice of India, through the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Act, 2019.
LEGAL FRATERNITY WELCOMES MOVE