The Union Cabinet on Tuesday took a significant decision to increase the number of judges in the Supreme Court. The Cabinet approved increasing the total number of judges in the Supreme Court from 34 to 38. This decision comes nearly six years after the number was raised from 31 to 34 in 2019. The government states that this move is aimed at further strengthening the Supreme Court and expediting the judicial process. Currently, there are over 92,000 cases pending in the Supreme Court.
Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnav stated that the court currently has 33 judges and one Chief Justice. A proposal on this matter will be presented in the next session of Parliament. After the bill is passed, the total number of Supreme Court judges, including the Chief Justice, will increase to 38. This decision was taken to reduce the backlog of cases in the court and speed up the judicial process.
Number of judges in the SC increased like this
The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956, originally provided for 10 judges, in addition to the Chief Justice. This was increased to 13 in 1960 and later to 17. A 1986 amendment increased the number to 25, and in 2009, it was further increased to 30. In 2019, it was further increased to 34. Now, with the latest proposal, this number will be 38.
This step is being considered an important initiative towards strengthening the judiciary, which will prove helpful in making the Supreme Court of the country more effective.
What is the provision in the Constitution?
The Indian Constitution does not specify the total number of Supreme Court judges. Under Article 124(1), Parliament determines the number of judges, other than the Chief Justice. This number is revised from time to time to accommodate the increasing number of cases. This increase is intended to reduce the backlog of pending cases. However, many experts believe that increasing the number of judges alone will not completely eliminate justice delays.
