Sources familiar with the development said that at present, over 1,200 cases are pending before three-judge benches, more than 160 cases before five-judge benches, around three dozen cases before seven-judge benches, and nearly 45 cases before nine-judge
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Sources familiar with the development said that at present, over 1,200 cases are pending before three-judge benches, more than 160 cases before five-judge benches, around three dozen cases before seven-judge benches, and nearly 45 cases before nine-judge benches.
The proposed expansion is expected to cost the government around 15 crore annually, which will be funded through the Consolidated Fund of India. The government is expected to introduce a bill to amend the law and increase the sanctioned strength of judges.
IB Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that there are around 92000 pending cases at the Supreme Court and that increasing the number of judges would help the institution to speed up justice.
The strength of judges in the apex court was last increased from 30 to 33 (excluding the Chief Justice of India) through an amendment to the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Act, 2019.
The Supreme Court has sought an increase of 10 more judges, which would take the total strength to 43, excluding the CJI. The proposal was based on an assessment carried out by a three-judge committee constituted by the Chief Justice of India.
Sources familiar with the development said that at present, over 1,200 cases are pending before three-judge benches, more than 160 cases before five-judge benches, around three dozen cases before seven-judge benches, and nearly 45 cases before nine-judge benches.
The proposed expansion is expected to cost the government around 15 crore annually, which will be funded through the Consolidated Fund of India. The government is expected to introduce a bill to amend the law and increase the sanctioned strength of judges.