Cabinet clears bill for addition of four more Supreme Court judges

The decision, taken at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, paves the way for introducing the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026, in Parliament. The proposed legislation seeks to amend the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956, to expand the court’s capacity at a time when over 92,000 cases are pending.

An official statement said the increase was intended to strengthen the apex court and enable the speedier disposal of cases, noting that more than 92,000 cases were currently pending before it. “The number of increase shall help speedier justice,” the government said.

The move comes more than six years after the last revision in 2019, when Parliament raised the strength to 33 judges from 30. At the time, there were over 58,000 cases pending in the top court