Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal introduced the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026, in the Lok Sabha on Monday, even as the Opposition continued to raise slogans on the first day of the Monsoon Session. Meghwal sought to introduce the bill, aimed at further amending the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956. The proposed law would replace the ordinance that the Centre had earlier issued to raise the sanctioned strength of Supreme Court judges from 33 to 37.
The bill went through even as Opposition members kept up their protests over the alleged NEET-UG paper leak and the alleged Ram Mandir donation embezzlement case. With disruptions continuing, the Lok Sabha was adjourned until 12:30 pm, which was later extended till 2 pm.
What is the Supreme Court Amendment Bill?
The bill seeks to increase the number of judges the top court can have. It raises the sanctioned strength from 33 to 37 judges, excluding the Chief Justice of India. Including the CJI, this takes the Supreme Court's total sanctioned strength to 38 judges. Currently, the court is working with only 32 judges (including the CJI), well below the old limit, so this bill provides the court room to work effectively.
However, it is important to note that the bill isn’t a new overhaul; instead, it converts an old ordinance into a proper law. Earliet in May, the President had already brought in an ordinance making this exact change, turning the higher judge count already in effect. This bill simply turns that ordinance into a permanent law, as required by process.
How is this bill different from a constitutional amendment?
Article 124 of the Constitution already allows Parliament to decide the number of Supreme Court judges through an ordinary law. So, this bill just needs a simple majority to pass, not the two-thirds majority a constitutional amendment would need.
Has this happened before?
The number of Supreme Court judges has been increased step by step since the court was first set up:
- 1956: Fixed at 10 judges (excluding CJI)
- 1960: Raised to 13
- 1977: Raised to 17
- 1986: Raised to 25
- 2008: Raised to 30
- 2019: Raised to 33 (this was the last increase before now)
It is worth noting here that this 2026 bill would take that number to 37, the fifth such increase since the original 1956 Act.
