New Delhi, May 6: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has commended the recent decision by the central cabinet to increase the number of judges in India’s Supreme Court by four. He described this as a significant cabinet decision aimed at strengthening the judicial infrastructure and ensuring swift justice for the people.
On Wednesday, PM Modi shared his thoughts on the social media platform ‘X’, stating, “This is an extremely important decision by the cabinet, related to reinforcing our nation’s judicial framework and ensuring quick justice for citizens.”
The central cabinet approved the proposal to introduce the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026, during a meeting chaired by PM Modi on Tuesday. This bill aims to amend the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act of 1956, increasing the total number of judges in the Supreme Court (excluding the Chief Justice of India) from the current 33 to 37.
An official statement following the cabinet meeting indicated that this increase in the number of judges would enable the Supreme Court to function more efficiently and effectively, thereby ensuring prompt justice. The expenses related to the salaries and other benefits for the judges and support staff will be covered by India’s consolidated fund.
Article 124(1) of the Indian Constitution provides for the establishment of a Supreme Court in India, which includes a Chief Justice and no more than seven other judges unless otherwise determined by Parliament. The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956 was enacted to increase the number of judges in the Supreme Court. Initially, Section 2 of this Act set the maximum number of judges (excluding the Chief Justice of India) at ten.
The number of judges was raised to 13 through the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Act, 1960, and further increased to 17 by the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Act, 1977. However, the cabinet limited the number of judges (excluding the Chief Justice of India) to 15 until the end of 1979, when this cap was lifted at the request of the Chief Justice of India.
The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Act, 1986 raised the number of judges (excluding the Chief Justice of India) from 17 to 25. Subsequently, the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Act, 2008 increased this number from 25 to 30.
The last amendment to the original act was made through the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Act, 2019, which raised the number of judges from 30 to 33 (excluding the Chief Justice of India).
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