New Delhi: The sanctioned strength of judges in the Supreme Court of India has been increased from 33 to 37, excluding the Chief Justice of India, following the promulgation of the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Ordinance, 2026, by President Droupadi Murmu.
The ordinance was published in The Gazette of India Extraordinary on May 16 by the Ministry of Law and Justice’s Legislative Department. It amends Section 2 of the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956 by replacing the word “thirty-three” with “thirty-seven”.
According to the notification, the ordinance came into force immediately after its promulgation. The document stated that Parliament was not in session and immediate action was considered necessary under Article 123(1) of the Constitution, which empowers the President to promulgate ordinances.
The move raises the total sanctioned strength of the apex court to 38 judges, including the Chief Justice of India.
Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal also confirmed the development in a post on X. He said the president had approved the increase in the number of Supreme Court judges through the promulgation of the ordinance, further amending the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956.
The increase is expected to help address the growing pendency of cases and strengthen the functioning of the country’s highest judicial institution.
