Supreme Court Judges Increase Bill Passes in Lok Sabha Despite Ruckus

During a chaotic Tuesday session, the Lok Sabha witnessed a heated clash between opposition lawmakers and the government over the presence of Home Minister Amit Shah. Speaker Om Birla repeatedly requested that members remain seated and avoid chanting during the essential question‑hour, but the opposition persisted.

The disruption forced the speaker to halt proceedings until 2 p.m. This interruption comes at a time when the monsoon session has already experienced several setbacks, including a leaked Net‑paper controversy and the police response to a protest at Jantar Mantar on July 20.

Amidst the uproar, the Lok Sabha successfully passed the Supreme Court Judges (Number) Amendment Bill, 2026, by voice vote. The bill, tabled by Law and Justice Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, seeks to increase the sanctioned strength of Supreme Court judges from 33 to 37, not counting the Chief Justice, bringing the total number of judges to 38. The move is intended to alleviate the growing case backlog and reduce the workload on the apex court.

Speaker Krishna Prasad Tejapati made several pleas for order, urging members to let the house function, yet opposition slogans continued. The passage of the bill demonstrates the government's resolve to reform the judiciary despite parliamentary turbulence.