How to Increase Number of Judges of Supreme Court

The Supreme Court of India has 33 Judges who are appointed by the president of India. The number of judges in the Supreme court is not enough to maintain the country’s active cases.  The parliament of India is the only body that can increase the number of Judges in the Supreme court the legislative assembly. It is less likely that the parliament may take action on this matter and increase the number of cases. As the parliament already has a lot of work and pressure. But it is actually necessary to increase the number of judges in our country to make the judiciary more active and operational.

Objectives of Supreme Court Judges

The main and most important objective of the Supreme court is to settle disputes between states, or between state and central government. The supreme court of India is an independent body in our country, which is responsible for settling disputes. They take any kind of center-state disputes or problems into account. The supreme court also has the power to hear appeals from other courts which are lower than it, like the state high courts. They also have the ability to issue write. Another important thing is that they also have the ability to make any law unconstitutional. 

How many pending cases are there in India?

Well, as of today there are approximately 4.3 crores (i.e, 43 Million) pending cases in India out of 5 crores (i.e, 50 million) cases which is very disappointing in India. Due to this many backlogs in our judiciary, our nation is still not upgrading and moving forward. India has the largest number of pending cases in the world, so this makes sense to increase the number of Judges and lawyers in our courts in India. According to one report in order to complete the number of pending cases in India with the current number of advocates it would take more than 300 years. A lot of injustice is caused in India due to this number of cases.

How are Supreme Court Judges Appointed?

The appointment of the Judges works on the laws of the constitution of India and Supreme court (Collegium) rules in 2018. It is a very crucial process for the appointment of a Supreme court judge. Firstly the candidate must get the recommendation of the Collegium, the persons who recommend are the top 5 senior Judges of the Supreme Court including the chief justice of India. After getting the recommendation from the Collegium, the proposal is sent to the government of the candidate’s state. The government can accept the proposal or deny it. Note that the candidate can only move forward if and only if the government accepts the proposal. And lastly, the candidate is appointed by the president of India, and then only He/She becomes a Judge of the Supreme court of India.

Number of Acts to Increase the Number of Judges in the Supreme Court of India

Well, it is necessary to increase the number of judges in the supreme court in the current situation, but in the past, it has increased a lot of times, in 1950 the parliament of India first time increased the number of judges to 8 in the supreme court of India. Later in 1956, it increased to 11, and in 1960 it increased to 14, it was 18 in 1978, in the year 1986 it increased to 26, and in 2009 it was 31. And recently in 2019, the parliament of India increased it to 34. Well, there are a lot of pending cases and appeals which cannot be solved by this number of judges. India needs more judges in the supreme court as well as in high courts and in district courts.

 Why India Needs More Judges in the Supreme Court?

It is not a need it is necessary because it is a well-known fact that India is the largest democracy, and we have a lot of cases that are pending. Another thing is that the number of appeals in the Supreme Court of India has increased tremendously. In order to solve those all pending cases we need more and more judiciaries. The Supreme Court of India currently has 33 judges which are undoubtedly not enough for our nation. Besides, the Supreme court is responsible for hearing appeals in all courts. One of the reasons why we don’t have more Judges in the Supreme Court is because of the tough process of becoming a Supreme court Judge which we will see in the below paragraph. 

Eligibility of Being a Supreme Court Judge

These are the list of criteria needed for becoming a Supreme Court Judge in India.

1. Indian Citizen: First and foremost he/she must be a citizen of India.
2. 35 Years Old: Second he/she must be 35 years old in order to become a Judge of the Supreme Court.
3. 10 Years of Experience as a High Court Judge: He/She shall possess at least 10 years of experience as a High Court Judge in any state of India.
4. Have a Good Academic record: He/She must have a good academic record and performance in school and college.
5. Highly Qualified  Degree: He/She shall possess highly qualified degrees like Ph.D. (in law) etc.
6. Physically and Mentally Fit: He/She must be physically and mentally fit in order to be a Judge of the Supreme Court of India.

Conclusion

At last, I would like to say that the constitution of India should increase the number of Judges in the Supreme Court of India as well as in all the courts of India including High Courts and district courts, in order to reduce the number of pending cases. Our legislative of India should also care about our Judiciary so that our country grows quickly. Our Judiciary is as important as our Legislative. 

FAQs 

Q1. How Many Pending Cases are there in India?

Ans: 4.3 crores (i.e, 43 million) pending cases out of 5 crores (50 million) cases.

Q2. Who Appoints the Judge of the Supreme Court of India?

Ans: The president of India.

Q3. Who is Superior to the Supreme Court of India?

Ans: No one, because the supreme court of India is the top and the final level of court in India.

Q4. Is the Legislative Superior to the Judiciary?

Ans: No, the judiciary is more powerful than the legislative.