Supreme Court Reaches Full Sanctioned Strength of 34 Judges
In News
What Happened
Why It Matters
Background
History & Context
What Changed
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BEFORE: The Supreme Court was functioning with 32 judges, creating two vacancies that increased the burden on existing judicial benches. NOW: The Court operates at its maximum statutory strength of 34 judges, including the CJI.
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BEFORE: The Collegium's recommendation faced internal debate and a formal dissent regarding the chosen candidates. NOW: The Central Government cleared the names despite the lack of complete unanimity, moving the appointment process forward under the MoP.
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BEFORE: The backlog of cases continued to rise due to the shortage of judicial hands at the apex level. NOW: A full-strength court allows the Chief Justice to allocate more division and constitutional benches to expedite case disposals.
Prelims Angle
NCERT Connection
Practice Questions
Q1
Correct Statement(s)Which of the following statements is/are correct regarding the appointment and strength of Supreme Court Judges in India? 1. The sanctioned strength of the Supreme Court of India is permanently fixed by the Constitution and can only be changed via a Constitutional Amendment. 2. The Supreme Court Collegium for appointing apex court judges consists of the Chief Justice of India and the four senior-most judges of the Court.