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Bill to increase number of Judges of Supreme Court introduced in Lok sabha Amid din. (Photo: X)
New Delhi: A Bill to replace an ordinance which increased the number of Supreme Court judges by four was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Monday, with the government asserting that an enhanced strength is one of the most exigent and viable solutions for tackling pendency in the top court.
Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal introduced the bill amid slogan-shouting by opposition members over the NEET paper leak and alleged Ram Temple donation theft. In May, the Union Cabinet had cleared the Bill to increase the sanctioned strength of the court, but soon thereafter, the government brought an ordinance.
After the ordinance, Judges were appointed to the apex court based on the upgraded sanctioned strength. The bill does not require an amendment to the Constitution and requires a simple majority for passage. After the ordinance was issued, the sanctioned strength of the supreme Court went up to 38 from 34, including the chief justice of India.
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According to the bill, the volume of litigation cases in the Supreme Court has constantly been on the rise due to a persistent gap between the institution and the final disposal of cases in the Court. As of January 1, this year, there were
92,101 cases pending in the Supreme Court.
Even while working at near-full sanctioned capacity of 34 judges since 2019, the Supreme Court recorded the institution of 75,410 fresh matters in 2025 against a disposal of 65,615 cases.
It said there has been a persistent gp between institution and final disposal of cases, which highlight the ongoing challenge of managing the docket, particularly in relation to older pending cases and those necessitating the attention and adjudication by larger benches.
