Article 124
Establishment and Constitution of the Supreme Court
Article 124(1) of the Constitution provides that there shall be a Supreme Court of India consisting of a Chief Justice of India and such number of other judges as Parliament may by law prescribe. This means the sanctioned strength of the Court is not fixed in the Constitution itself — it is left to Parliament (or, via ordinance, the President) to determine by ordinary legislation.
- Original Constitution (1950): sanctioned strength was 8 (CJI + 7).
- Progressive increases: 11 (1956 Act), 14, 18, 26, and 31 over the decades — now 38 with this ordinance.
- Article 124(2): Judges of the Supreme Court are appointed by the President after consultation with such judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts as the President may deem necessary — the basis on which the Collegium system evolved.
- Article 124(3): Qualifications for appointment (must be citizen of India; and either an HC judge for 5 years, or advocate of HC for 10 years, or a distinguished jurist in the President's opinion).
- Article 124(4): Removal only by an address of both Houses of Parliament (special majority) on grounds of proved misbehaviour or incapacity — the impeachment process.
● Tracked since May 05, 2026 · last seen July 20, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes
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