The Lok Sabha passed the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, which proposes increasing the sanctioned strength of Supreme Court judges from 30 to 33, excluding the Chief Justice of India.
The amendment aims to address the growing pendency of cases in the apex court and strengthen the judicial system’s capacity to handle its increasing workload. Under the provisions of the Bill, the additional judges will also be entitled to rent-free official accommodation.
Replying to the debate on the Bill, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said that as of June 1, 2019, a total of 58,669 cases were pending before the Supreme Court. He reiterated the Government’s commitment to maintaining an independent judiciary while taking steps to improve the efficiency of the justice delivery system.
