How many judges are there in the Supreme Court of India?

The Cabinet on 5 May 2026 approved a proposal to increase the sanctioned strength of judges in the Supreme Court of India from the current 33 to 37, excluding the Chief Justice of India (CJI). With this, the total strength of judges in the apex court, including CJI, is now increased from 34 to 38.

The Union Cabinet, under the leadership of PM Modi, approved the introduction of The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026, in Parliament to amend The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956, for increasing the number of judges in the apex court by four (excluding the CJI).

Currently, there are about 92,000 cases pending before the Supreme Court, said Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. The increase in the number of judges will aid the apex court in functioning more efficiently.

How many judges are there in the Supreme Court of India?

As of May 2026, the current strength of judges in the Supreme Court of India has been raised to 38, including the Chief Justice of India.

The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026, provides for increasing the number of judges of the Supreme Court by four (excluding the Chief Justice of India).

Revised Number of Supreme Court Judges (As of May 2026): 38 total (37 judges + 1 CJI)

Previous Number of Supreme Court Judges: 34 total (33 judges + 1 CJI)

Which fund the salaries of the Supreme Court judges paid from?

Salaries and allowances of the Supreme Court judges are paid from the Consolidated Fund of India, while the salaries of the High Court judges are drawn from the Consolidated Fund of the State.

Can the number of Supreme Court judges be increased?

The Supreme Court judges can be increased through amendments to The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956. The Act fixed te number of judges of the apex court at 10 (excluding the CJI).

Article 124 of the Constitution of India provides for the establishment of the Supreme Court and states that the number of judges shall be determined by Parliament by law.

How many times the Parliament has increased the number of judges in the Supreme Court?

The Parliament of India has increased the number of sanctioned judges seven times (including May 2026) since 1950 to meet rising caseloads. The amendments took the strength from an original 8 to the current 38.

Key Amendments to the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956:

1950 (original): 8 (1 Chief Justice + 7 judges)

1956 (1st increase): 11  (1 Chief Justice + 10 judges)

1960 (2nd increase): 14 (1 Chief Justice + 13 judges)

1978 (3rd increase): 18 (1 Chief Justice + 17 judges)

1986 (4th increase): 26 (1 Chief Justice + 25 judges)

2009 (5th increase): 31 (1 Chief Justice + 30 judges)

2019 (6th increase): 34 (1 Chief Justice + 33 judges)

2026 (7th increase): 38 (1 Chief Justice + 37 judges)

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