New Delhi, May 6 -- Acting on a formal request made earlier this year by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant, the Union cabinet on Tuesday approved a proposal to increase the sanctioned strength of judges in the Supreme Court from 33 to 37, excluding the CJI, to address mounting pendency and strengthen the court's functioning. The decision, taken at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, paves the way for the introduction of the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026, in Parliament. The proposed legislation seeks to amend the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956, at a time when more than 92,000 cases are pending before the apex court. People aware of the development said the CJI had in February written to the Centre seeking an immediate increase of four judges. He pointed to the need for augmenting judicial strength, particularly to enable the regular constitution of Constitution benches that hear substantial questions of law. The people said the communication proposed a calibrated approach - an immediate addition of four judges, followed by an evaluation of the impact before considering any further increase. The CJI's office is understood to have followed up on the proposal, underlining its urgency. The government, in its statement, said the increase is intended to ensure "speedier justice," pointing to the growing backlog. The latest expansion comes more than six years after the previous revision in 2019, when Parliament raised the strength from 30 to 33 judges. The constitution does not prescribe a fixed number of judges in the Supreme Court. Under Article 124(1), it provides for a Chief Justice of India and leaves it to Parliament to determine the strength of the court through legislation, allowing periodic revisions in response to rising caseloads. While the expansion aims to ease the burden on existing benches, where most matters are heard by two- or three-judge panels, with larger constitution benches convened for significant legal questions, it also sets the stage for a substantial round of judicial appointments over the coming months. With the sanctioned strength set to rise to 37, the Supreme Court will have as many as 10 vacancies that need filling during the tenure of CJI Surya Kant....