Cabinet Clears More Supreme Court Judges: How Many Times Has Bench Strength Increased Since 1950

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved a proposal to increase the sanctioned strength of judges in the Supreme Court of India from 33 to 37, excluding the Chief Justice of India. The move comes nearly six years after the last expansion in 2019 and is aimed at boosting judicial capacity, with more than 92,000 cases currently pending before the apex court.

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To implement the decision, the Cabinet cleared the introduction of the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026 in Parliament. The proposed legislation will amend the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956, which determines the maximum number of judges

in the top court.

How Has Bench Strength Changed Since 1950?

Under Article 124 of the Constitution of India, Parliament has the authority to decide the number of judges in the Supreme Court. At the time of its establishment in 1950, the court had a Chief Justice and seven other judges. Since then, Parliament has revised this number multiple times to keep pace with the growing workload.

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The first increase came through the 1956 law, raising the strength to 11 judges. Subsequent amendments expanded the bench to 14 in 1960, 18 in 1978, 26 in 1986 and 31 in 2009.

In 2019, the strength was increased to 33 judges (excluding the Chief Justice), following a recommendation by then Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, who had flagged rising pendency as a major concern. With the latest proposal, the number will rise to 37 judges, marking one of the largest expansions in the court’s history.

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What Happens Next?

The proposal will now be taken up in Parliament as part of the amendment bill. Once passed, it will formally raise the sanctioned strength of the Supreme Court, allowing for additional appointments in the coming months.