New Delhi: The Rajya Sabha on Wednesday passed a bill to increase the number of judges of the Supreme Court from the present 33 to 37 (excluding the Chief Justice) with a voice vote with Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal asserting that the government is committed to independence of the judiciary.
The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026, was passed by a voice vote after a brief discussion in the upper House, while Opposition members staged a walkout.
The bill, which will replace an ordinance, has already been approved by the Lok Sabha on August 3. Being a Money Bill, the Upper House returned it to the Lok Sabha. Replying to the debate, Meghwal, who is the Minister of State for Law and Justice, said the increase in the sanctioned strength is part of the government’s judicial reforms.
aimed at improving access to justice and reducing the backlog of cases.
He said the judiciary has witnessed a steady rise in case filings, necessitating an expansion in judicial capacity.
“A structural shift is needed to be adopted in the Supreme Court, where a need is felt to establish at least one permanent constitutional bench and two or three dedicated three-judge benches,” he said.
Meghwal said questions are raised on the government for going through the ordinance route to expand the number of judges at the apex court. Replying to that, the minister said the Chief Justice, through a letter, informed the Prime Minister on May 11 about the rise in number of daily case filings.
