Following the ordinance promulgated by the President of India, the Supreme Court of India now has a sanctioned strength of 38 judges including the CJI. The number of judges in the apex court was increased from 18 to 26 in 1988.

Two decades later in 2009 it was increased to 30 plus the CJI. It was in 2019 when the number of Supreme Court judges was increased last to 33 excluding the CJI. As per Article 124 of the Constitution, the Supreme Court comprises the Chief Justice of India and the number of Judges which the Parliament prescribes by way of law.

A number of Supreme Court judges, including Justice Vikram Nath and Justice J.K. Maheshwari, are due to retire later this year in 2026. Both are members of the Supreme Court collegium being the second and the third most senior judges after the Chief Justice.

The Chief Justice of India justice Surya Kant is due to demit office in February, 2027. The probable successor Justice B.V. Nagarathna, the only woman Justice in the Supreme Court currently, will be the CJI for a short duration of six months or so.

With several other Supreme Court judges due to retire in 2026 and 2027, the government action in........

© National Herald