The sanctioned strength of judges in the Supreme Court of India, excluding the Chief Justice, has been increased from 33 to 37

The sanctioned strength of judges in the Supreme Court of India, excluding the Chief Justice, has been increased from 33 to 37

¨   The sanctioned strength of judges in the Supreme Court of India, excluding the Chief Justice, has been increased from 33 to 37.

¨     With this change, the total strength including the Chief Justice has risen from 34 to 38.

¨     This change has been brought through the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Ordinance, 2026.

¨   Article 123 of the Constitution empowers the President to promulgate ordinances when Parliament is not in session.

¨     President Droupadi Murmu issued the ordinance on 16 May 2026, and it was notified in the Gazette the same day.

¨  Earlier, Section 2 of the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956 specified the number of judges (excluding the CJI) as “thirty-three.”

¨     The 2026 ordinance replaces “thirty-three” with “thirty-seven.”

¨   The Supreme Court currently has over 93,000 pending cases, prompting the need to expand judicial strength.

¨     The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the proposal on 5 May 2026.

¨     The move aims to improve judicial capacity and speed up disposal of pending cases.