Cabinet approves four more judges for Supreme Court

6 MAY 2026

The Union Cabinet approved an increase in the number of judges of the Supreme Court from 34, which includes the Chief Justice of India, to a total of 38.
A Bill would be brought in the next session of Parliament to raise this strength by four.

Amendment required

Article 124(1) gives Parliament the sole authority of increasing the sanctioned strength of the Supreme Court.
The Cabinet approval would be followed by an amendment to the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956.
Once the amended law comes into force, the Supreme Court Collegium would recommend judges to the government for appointment to the top court.
The government’s approval for more judges on the Supreme Court is after a six-year hiatus.
Parliament last amended the 1956 Act in 2019, raising the sanctioned strength from 31 to 33 (excluding the Chief Justice of India).

Reason for increase in strength

The Cabinet approval is a step towards tiding over the continuing crisis of pendency plaguing the court for years now, especially after the pandemic, when the facility of e-filing increased the inflow.
The current backlog is 92,385 cases, and threatening to reach six figures even as the court is going into summer recess or “partial working days” in June.

Vacancies in Supreme Court

At present, there are two judicial vacancies in the Supreme Court.
These are of the current Chief Justice of India Surya Kant’s immediate predecessor, Justice B.R. Gavai, who retired in November 2025, and Justice Rajesh Bindal, who completed office in April 2026.
Three more judges are scheduled to retire in 2026.
Justices J.K. Maheshwari and Pankaj Mithal will complete their tenure in June, and Justice Sanjay Karol in August 2026.