CJI Surya Kant welcomes Centre's move to raise SC judge strength to 38

Chief Justice of India Surya Kant has welcomed the Union Government's decision to increase the strength of Supreme Court judges from 33 to 38, stating the move will help address case pendency and ensure faster disposal of Constitution Bench matters.

CJI Welcomes Move to Increase Judge Strength

Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Wednesday welcomed the Union Government's decision to increase the sanctioned strength of the Supreme Court from 33 to 38 judges, including the CJI, saying the move would help address the rising pendency of cases and ensure faster disposal of matters requiring Constitution Bench hearings.

Justice Surya Kant told reporters, "The total volume of pending cases in the Supreme Court, as well as the rate at which new cases are being filed, which has been consistently rising year after year, has increased significantly. Keeping this in mind, the Central Government has decided to increase the strength of the Supreme Court from 34 to 38 judges. A legislative provision will be enacted to facilitate this, and I am confident that this will happen very soon."

He added, "There is indeed a need for additional judges in the Supreme Court at this moment, as several matters requiring a Constitutional Bench are currently pending before the Court. To ensure the timely disposal of these specific matters, I believe it is essential that a dedicated Constitutional Bench functions continuously."

Expressing gratitude towards the Centre, the CJI said, "On behalf of the Supreme Court, I would like to express my gratitude to the Central Government. If the law is amended to increase the number of judges, it will certainly expedite the resolution of the pending issues currently awaiting a Constitutional Bench."

Union Cabinet Approves Proposal

Earlier, the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the proposal for increasing the number of Supreme Court Judges by four from the present 33 to 37, excluding the Chief Justice of India.

The Union Cabinet approved the proposal to introduce the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026, in Parliament to amend the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956, for increasing the number of Judges of the Supreme Court of India by four from the present 33 to 37.

Briefing reporters on the decisions of the Union Cabinet, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the increase in the number of Judges will allow the Supreme Court to function more efficiently and effectively, ensuring speedy justice. (ANI)

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