How Many Times Has Parliament Increased the Supreme Court Judges' Strength Since 1950?
From 8 to 37 judges, explore the complete history of Parliament's increases in Supreme Court judge strength.
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The Supreme Court of India is the highest judicial body of the country. It was established on 26 January 1950 under the Constitution of India. When it was established, the Constitution allowed the Court to have only 8 judges, including the Chief Justice of India (CJI).
Over the years as the population and problems of the nation rose, the cases increased as well. That is why to handle this workload and provide faster justice, the Parliament of India has increased the number of judges many times.
This power to the Parliament comes under Article 124 of the Constitution, which lets Parliament decide the number of judges through a simple law.
The Supreme Court began with 8 judges in 1950 and recently, the Lok Sabha passed the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026 on 3 August 2026 which takes the total strength of judges in the Supreme Court to 38. Here is everything you need to know.
Supreme Court Judge Strength at a Glance
| Particular | Details |
| Established | 26 January 1950 |
| Initial Strength | 8 Judges (including CJI) |
| Current Strength (2026) | 38 Judges (including CJI) |
| Governing Law | Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956 |
| Latest Change | Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026, passed by Lok Sabha on 3 August 2026 |
How Many Times Has Parliament Increased the Supreme Court Judges' Strength?
Since the establishment in 1950, the strength of Supreme Court judges has changed a total of 7 times. The first increase was made through the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956. Here is an overview:
| Year | Strength Increased From | Increased To (including CJI) | Amendment or Act |
| 1950 | Constitutional strength | 8 | Article 124 of the Constitution |
| 1956 | 8 | 11 | Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956 |
| 1960 | 11 | 14 | Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Act, 1960 |
| 1977 (effective 1978) | 14 | 18 | Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Act, 1977 |
| 1986 | 18 | 26 | Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Act, 1986 |
| 2008 (effective 2009) | 26 | 31 | Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Act, 2008 |
| 2019 | 31 | 34 | Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Act, 2019 |
| 2026 | 34 | 38 | Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Ordinance, 2026 and Amendment Bill, 2026 |
What is the New 2026 Bill?
In 2026, the Supreme Court of India was working at a strength of 34 judges however, there were more than 92,000 cases pending with the Supreme Court as on 1 January 2026.
That is why to deal with this, President Droupadi Murmu implemented the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Ordinance on 26 May 2026.
To turn this into a proper law, Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal has introduced the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026 in the Lok Sabha on 20th July 2026. On 3rd August 2026, the Lok Sabha passed this bill and now it will go to the Rajya Sabha.
This bill as per the government was needed to improve the efficiency of the judiciary and clear the backlog of the pending cases.
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