President Promulgates Ordinance Increasing Supreme Court Judge Strength to 37 (Excluding CJI)

New Delhi, May 2026 : President has promulgated the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Ordinance, 2026, raising the sanctioned strength of judges in the Supreme Court of India from 33 to 37, excluding the Chief Justice of India. The decision marks a significant institutional step aimed at strengthening the country’s highest judiciary and improving the pace of justice delivery.

The move has been introduced to address the growing pendency of cases in the Supreme Court and to ensure faster disposal of matters. With an increasing workload and rising complexity of litigation, the government has sought to enhance judicial capacity at the apex level.

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal confirmed the development through a post on social media platform X. He stated that the President has approved the increase in judge strength by promulgating the ordinance, which further amends the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956.

In his post, Meghwal said, “The President is pleased to increase the Judge strength of the Supreme Court from 33 to 37 Judges (Excluding the Chief Justice of India) by promulgating The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Ordinance, 2026, which has further amended the ‘Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956’.”

The ordinance follows closely after the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved a proposal on May 5 to amend the existing law governing the number of judges in the Supreme Court. The Cabinet had also cleared the proposal to introduce the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026 in Parliament, seeking to increase the judicial strength by four additional judges.

According to the government, the decision has been taken in response to the steadily increasing caseload and mounting pendency in the apex court. It is expected that the expansion in judicial strength will improve efficiency, reduce delays in hearings, and enable quicker resolution of critical constitutional and legal matters.

The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act was originally enacted in 1956 and has since been amended multiple times to keep pace with evolving judicial requirements. One of the most recent revisions took place in 2019, when Parliament increased the sanctioned strength from 30 to 33 judges, excluding the Chief Justice of India.

With the latest ordinance, the total sanctioned strength of the Supreme Court now effectively rises to 38 judges, including the Chief Justice of India. The government views this step as part of a broader effort to strengthen judicial infrastructure and enhance access to timely justice for citizens across the country.