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21 July 2026

Union government introduces Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill in Lok Sabha

This topic directly addresses judicial reforms and Supreme Court functioning, providing valuable case study data on case pendency and parliamentary legislative measures under GS2 Judiciary.

2 min read 2 questions 2 prelims

Notes

  • The Union government introduced the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha to replace the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Ordinance, 2026.
  • The Bill increases the sanctioned strength of Supreme Court judges from 34 to 38 (37 judges excluding the Chief Justice of India).
  • As of January 1, pending cases in the Supreme Court stood at 92,101; in 2025, 75,410 new cases were registered while 65,615 were disposed of.
  • The primary objectives of increasing judge strength are to improve docket management, reduce case backlog, and facilitate regular constitution of Constitution Benches for cases involving substantial questions of law.
  • Financial implications: Creating 4 additional posts of judges with supporting staff involves an annual recurring expenditure of approximately Rs 10.56 crore and a one-time expenditure of Rs 3.47 crore, totalling about Rs 14.04 crore initial outlay.

Questions

  1. The persistent gap between case institution and disposal in the Supreme Court has intensified docket management challenges. Discuss whether increasing judicial strength alone can ensure timely justice delivery, or if deeper structural and procedural reforms are necessary. 250 words
    Attempt this — 250 words in 11 min
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  2. Examine the constitutional mechanism for modifying the numerical strength of judges in the Supreme Court of India and highlight the significance of regular Constitution Benches in constitutional governance. 150 words
    Attempt this — 150 words in 8 min
    0 / 150 words 8:00

Prelims

  1. Under Article 124 of the Constitution of India, who among the following is empowered to prescribe the number of judges in the Supreme Court?

  2. With reference to the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill introduced in Lok Sabha, consider the following statements: 1. It seeks to increase the total sanctioned strength of Supreme Court judges, including the Chief Justice of India, to 38. 2. Increasing judge strength is intended to facilitate the regular constitution of Constitution Benches. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

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