Lok Sabha Passes Bill To Increase Supreme Court Strength To 38 Judges Amid Growing Case Backlog

In a major legislative move aimed at expanding judicial capacity, the Lok Sabha on Monday, August 3, 2026, passed the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026, without debate. The newly passed legislation increases the sanctioned judge strength of the apex court from 34 to 38, including the Chief Justice of India (CJI). Replaces an earlier ordinance promulgated in May 2026, the Bill amends the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956, marking the first expansion of the top court’s bench strength since 2019.

Moved in the House by Union Minister of Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal, the government stated that adding four additional judges is necessary to tackle mounting pendency and accelerate case disposal rates. With total pending cases before the Supreme Court hovering around 92,000, the addition of four judges will allow the top court to set up approximately two additional two-judge benches or one multi-judge bench to hear routine appeals, bail applications, and constitutional matters.

However, legal experts and courtroom observers caution that adding four judges alone will not eliminate the massive judicial backlog. With over 6,000 to 7,800 fresh cases being filed in the Supreme Court every month, the two additional benches will primarily help keep pace with new incoming filings rather than clearing the historical backlog of 92,000+ cases. Because the Supreme Court functions as a general court of appeal for almost every type of dispute across the country, fresh filings continue to match or exceed monthly disposal rates.

Systemic judicial reform will require deeper structural fixes beyond headcount expansion. Experts point out that large Constitution Benches regularly pull judges away from routine appeal lists, while over 4.5 crore cases remain bogged down in District Courts and High Courts due to procedural delays and vacancies. While increasing Supreme Court judge strength to 38 provides much-needed relief to an overburdened bench, achieving speedy justice for citizens will ultimately require strict adjournment limits, digital court infrastructure, and streamlining appeal mechanisms at all levels of the judiciary.