New Delhi, August 3: The Lok Sabha passed the ‘Supreme Court (Judges’ Number) Amendment Ordinance, 2026′ on Monday through a voice vote.
After a brief suspension, the house resumed its proceedings. However, the opposition’s noisy protests continued to disrupt parliamentary activities.
Union Law and Justice Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal introduced the bill. During this time, opposition MPs vocally demanded answers from Union Home Minister Amit Shah regarding police actions during protests at Jantar Mantar.
Despite repeated appeals from the presiding officer, Krishna Prasad Teneti, the protests persisted. Ultimately, the bill was passed by a voice vote.
As the uproar showed no signs of abating, the Speaker decided to adjourn the Lok Sabha proceedings for the day.
The ‘Supreme Court (Judges’ Number) Amendment Ordinance, 2026′ aims to replace an ordinance issued earlier this year. It seeks to increase the sanctioned number of judges in the Supreme Court in light of the growing workload and backlog of pending cases.
Under the proposed law, the approved number of judges in the Supreme Court will rise from 33 to 37, excluding the Chief Justice of India, bringing the total number of judges from 34 to 38.
This bill is intended to replace the ‘Supreme Court (Judges’ Number) Amendment Ordinance, 2026,’ which was issued in May. Meanwhile, legislative work continued earlier in the day, despite repeated disruptions.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the ‘Bankers Books Evidence Bill, 2026.’ This bill aims to modernize the legal framework concerning evidence related to bankers’ books, aligning it with today’s digital banking practices. The proposed law also seeks to address issues related to changes in the digital financial ecosystem.
In another significant legislative development, the Minister of State for Statistics and Programme Implementation, Rao Inderjit Singh, introduced the ‘Indian Statistical Institute Bill’ in the house.
The proposed law has already faced strong opposition from certain segments of the academic community and students of the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI).
Leave a Comment