Thebill seeks to amend the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956 to increase the judge strength of the Supreme Court from present 33 to 37 (excluding the Chief Justice of India (CJI)).
- Article 124 of the Constitution of India provides for the establishment of the Supreme Court and empowers Parliament to determine the number of judges over time.
- Parliament enacted The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956 to fix the number of judges of SC at 10 (excluding the CJI).
- SC’s strength was then subsequently increased by amendments in 1977, 1986, 2008 and 2019.
- Once the amended law comes into force, the Supreme Court Collegium would recommend judges to the government for appointment to the top court.
- Chief Justice of India (CJI), in consultation with collegium members, initiates the proposal for appointment of judges in Supreme Court.
- Collegium’s recommendations are sent to Union Law Minister, who submits them to the Prime Minister, who in turn advises President to formally appoint the judges.
- Significance: Additional judges will help in faster disposal of cases, timely delivery of justice, and reducing pendency of cases.
- Presently, Supreme Court has total 92,926 pending cases.
