NEW DELHI
The legal community has warmly welcomed the Union Cabinet’s decision to increase the Supreme Court’s sanctioned strength from 34 to 38 judges.
This significant move, approved via the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026, aims to tackle the staggering backlog of over 92,000 pending cases and expedite the delivery of justice across the country.
Senior Advocate Vikas Singh, President of the Supreme Court Bar Association, noted that this increase has been a long-standing demand. He emphasized that as the volume of litigation grows, the current bench is stretched thin. While adding four more seats is a positive step, experts suggest the court may eventually need up to 50 judges once its new infrastructure becomes fully operational later this year.
However, many in the fraternity argue that more judges are only part of the solution. Advocate Sumit Gehlot and other prominent lawyers highlighted that without better case management and structural reforms, the “pendency mountain” will remain. Some experts even suggested establishing regional Courts of Appeal so the Supreme Court can focus strictly on complex constitutional matters rather than routine appeals.
As several senior judges prepare to retire this year, the timing of this expansion is seen as crucial. Litigants and lawyers alike hope that this administrative boost will lead to shorter wait times for hearings. For now, the legal world views the Bill as a vital first step in a much larger journey toward a more efficient and accessible Indian judicial system.
