vajiraoias

Supreme Court Judge Strength Increased | Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill 2026 | UPSC Current Affairs The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved a proposal to increase the strength of judges in the Supreme Court of India. Under the proposed Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026, the sanctioned strength of Supreme Court judges will increase from 33 judges to 37 judges, excluding the Chief Justice of India (CJI). With the CJI included, the total strength of the Supreme Court will become 38 judges. This decision aims to address the growing backlog of cases and improve the efficiency of the Indian judicial system. Currently, the Supreme Court has more than 80,000 pending cases, including constitutional matters, civil disputes, criminal appeals, and Public Interest Litigations (PILs). Increasing the number of judges is expected to ensure faster disposal of cases and better access to justice. Article 124 of the Constitution provides for the establishment of the Supreme Court and empowers Parliament to determine the number of judges through legislation. Originally, the Supreme Court consisted of one Chief Justice of India and a maximum of seven other judges. The workload of the Supreme Court has increased significantly due to a large number of Special Leave Petitions (SLPs) filed under Article 136 of the Constitution. Article 136 allows individuals to directly appeal to the Supreme Court in special circumstances. This has contributed to the rising pendency of cases. Article 145 empowers the Supreme Court to frame rules regarding court procedures, practice, and the formation of benches. The increase in judge strength will facilitate the constitution of more constitutional benches, which require a minimum of five judges for hearing important constitutional matters. The historical growth of the Supreme Court judge strength reflects the increasing demands on the judiciary. The strength rose from 7 judges in 1950 to 10 in 1956, 13 in 1960, 17 in 1977, 25 in 1986, 30 in 2008, 33 in 2019, and is now proposed to become 37 in 2026. The process of increasing the judge strength begins with a proposal from the Chief Justice of India. Parliament then passes an amendment to the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956, through a simple majority. After parliamentary approval, the President of India grants assent to the Bill. Appointments of Supreme Court judges are made under Article 124(2) by the President of India based on recommendations of the Collegium System. The Collegium consists of the Chief Justice of India and the four senior-most Supreme Court judges. This development is important for UPSC, State PCS, Judiciary Exams, SSC, and other competitive examinations. Understanding constitutional provisions, judicial reforms, and recent developments in governance is crucial for aspirants. Key Topics Covered: • Supreme Court Judge Strength Increase 2026 * Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill 2026 * Article 124 of the Indian Constitution * Article 136 Special Leave Petition (SLP) * Article 145 Supreme Court Rules * Collegium System in India * Judicial Reforms in India * Supreme Court Pending Cases * Constitutional Benches * UPSC Current Affairs 2026 #SupremeCourt #SupremeCourtJudges #Judiciary #IndianPolity #UPSC #CurrentAffairs #ConstitutionOfIndia #Article124 #Article136 #Article145 #JudicialReforms #CollegiumSystem #Governance #UPSCPreparation #IASPreparation #UPSCCurrentAffairs #Law #IndianJudiciary #Constitution #CivilServices