The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved, on May 5, 2026, the proposal to introduce the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026 in Parliament. The Bill will amend the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956 and raise the sanctioned number of Supreme Court judges from the present 33 to 37, excluding the Chief Justice of India. The Cabinet described the major impact as improved efficiency and effectiveness of the Supreme Court, with the objective of ensuring speedy justice. Expenditure on salaries of judges, supporting staff and other facilities will be met from the Consolidated Fund of India. The release also placed the proposal in constitutional and legislative context. Article 124(1) of the Constitution provides for a Supreme Court consisting of the Chief Justice of India and, until Parliament prescribes a larger number by law, not more than seven other judges. Parliament enacted the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956, whose Section 2 fixed the maximum number of judges, excluding the Chief Justice of India, at 10. The strength was raised to 13 by the 1960 amendment and to 17 by the 1977 amendment, though the working strength was kept at 15 until the end of 1979 before that restriction was withdrawn at the request of the Chief Justice of India. Later amendments increased the sanctioned strength from 17 to 25 in 1986 and from 25 to 30 in 2008. The last increase came through the 2019 amendment, which raised the strength from 30 to 33 excluding the Chief Justice of India. The 2026 proposal therefore continues Parliament's role in periodically adjusting the Court's capacity to meet institutional workload and access-to-justice needs.