Union Cabinet has approved the Supreme Court Amendment Bill

Why in News? The Union Cabinet has approved the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026 to increase the sanctioned strength of judges. 
•    The proposal seeks to raise the number of judges from 33 to 37 (excluding the Chief Justice of India) to address rising judicial pendency. 
•    The Supreme Court of India is the highest judicial authority established on 28 January 1950 under Part V of the Constitution. 
•    Article 124 of the Constitution of India provides for the establishment and composition of the Supreme Court. 
•    The Constitution initially fixed the strength at 8 (1 Chief Justice + 7 judges), while allowing Parliament to increase this number by law. 
•    The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956 and its subsequent amendments regulate the sanctioned strength.
Evolution of Judge Strength
•    The judge strength has been progressively increased to meet rising judicial demands. 
•    The Judge strength of the Supreme Court of India was increased to 13 by The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Act, 1960.
•    It was increased to 17 by The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Act, 1977. 
•    The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Act, 1986 further augmented the Judge strength of the Supreme Court of India, excluding the Chief Justice of India, from 17 to 25. 
•    Subsequently, The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Act, 2008 further augmented the Judge strength of the Supreme Court of India from 25 to 30.
•    The Judge strength of the Supreme Court of India was last increased from 30 to 33 (excluding the Chief Justice of India) by further amending the original act vide The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Act, 2019.
•    The 2026 Amendment Bill proposes to increase this to 37 judges, reflecting growing case load and complexity.
Challenges
•    The judiciary faces massive pendency of cases, leading to delays in justice delivery. 
•    Vacancies in judicial positions and a low judge-to-population ratio worsen the burden on courts. 
•    Increasing judge strength alone is insufficient without institutional reforms in infrastructure and case management. 
•    In a democratic system,  delayed justice undermines rule of law and public trust.
Latest developments
•    The 2026 amendment introduces a structural expansion of judicial capacity at the apex level. 
•    The move aims to improve efficiency and reduce backlog in constitutional and appellate cases. 
•    Judicial appointments continue through the Collegium System, ensuring independence in higher judiciary appointments. 
•    The reform aligns with broader efforts toward judicial modernisation and efficiency.