Cabinet approves four more judges for Supreme Court, Pg12

Key Highlights:

• The Union Cabinet approved increasing the number of Supreme Court judges from 34 to 38 on Tuesday.
• Ashwini Vaishnaw announced that a bill to amend the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956 will be introduced in the next Parliament session.
• The decision aims to address the backlog of 92,385 cases in the Supreme Court, which is expected to increase.
• The last amendment to the 1956 Act was in 2019, increasing the sanctioned strength from 31 to 33 judges (excluding the CJI).

Detailed Insights:

• The increase in judges is intended to alleviate the pressure caused by the rising number of pending cases, exacerbated by the increased use of e-filing after the pandemic.
• Article 124(1) of the Constitution grants Parliament the exclusive power to increase the number of Supreme Court judges.
• Following the amendment, the Supreme Court Collegium will recommend names to the government for appointment as judges.
• There are currently two judicial vacancies due to the retirement of Justice B.R. Gavai in November 2025 and Justice Rajesh Bindal in April 2026.
• Three more judges, Justices J.K. Maheshwari, Pankaj Mithal, and Sanjay Karol, are scheduled to retire in June and August 2026, respectively.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Supreme Court Collegium: A body of senior judges that recommends appointments and transfers of judges in the higher judiciary.
• Article 124(1): Constitutional provision granting Parliament the authority to determine the number of Supreme Court judges.
• E-filing: The electronic filing of court documents, which has increased case inflow.