India's Parliament passed the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026, to increase the authorized number of judges on the nation's highest court.
The expansion aims to address judicial backlog and improve the efficiency of the legal system by increasing the court's capacity. A larger bench could potentially accelerate the resolution of long-pending cases in New Delhi.
On Wednesday, July 22, 2026 [1], the Rajya Sabha approved the amendment bill [2]. Following this approval, the legislation was sent back to the Lok Sabha for further consideration [2].
The Lok Sabha subsequently passed the bill [3]. Reports on the nature of the passage vary; while some sources indicated the house was set to take up the bill for consideration [1], other reports said the Lok Sabha passed the legislation without any discussion [3].
The bill specifically targets the composition of the Supreme Court by raising the statutory limit of judges allowed to serve [2]. This legislative move comes during the current monsoon session of Parliament [1].
Because the bill passed both the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha, it now moves toward the final stages of becoming law. The move to expand the judiciary is a central component of the government's current legal reforms.
“The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026, passed both houses of Parliament in July.”
Increasing the number of Supreme Court judges is a structural attempt to reduce the massive case pendency that often plagues the Indian judicial system. However, the reported lack of debate in the Lok Sabha may lead to political criticism regarding the transparency of the legislative process and the speed at which such a significant judicial change was implemented.
