Strengthening the Apex Court: President Appoints Five New Judges to the Supreme Court

In a significant move to bolster the Indian judiciary, the President of India has appointed five new judges to the Supreme Court. The appointees include four Chief Justices from various High Courts and Senior Advocate V. Mohana. This development brings the working strength of the Supreme Court to 37, just one short of the newly revised sanctioned strength of 38. The increase in the sanctioned limit from 34 to 38 was recently facilitated through an ordinance, reflecting the government's urgency in addressing the judicial backlog. Under Article 124(1) of the Constitution, the power to determine the number of judges in the Supreme Court rests with Parliament. Historically, the court began with eight judges in 1950 and has seen periodic expansions—most recently in 2019 when the strength was raised to 34. The current expansion is a response to the staggering pendency of cases, which has frequently crossed the 80,000 mark, hindering the timely delivery of justice.