Lok Sabha passes Supreme Court judges Bill without debate as Opposition protests continue

The Lok Sabha on Monday (August 3, 2026) passed a Bill to increase the sanctioned strength of judges in the Supreme Court without any discussion as persistent protests by Opposition members over the police action against protesting students at Jantar Mantar and the alleged chadhawa chori (theft of offerings) at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya continued to disrupt proceedings.

Two other legislations — the Bankers’ Books Evidence Bill, 2026, and the Indian Statistical Institute Bill, 2026 — were introduced amid sloganeering in the afternoon.

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The House was adjourned repeatedly during the day as Opposition members trooped into the Well raising slogans and displaying placards, forcing Speaker Om Birla to suspend proceedings first till noon, then till 2 p.m., before adjourning the House for the day following the passage of the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026.

At the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) meeting, sources told The Hindu that Congress deputy leader Gaurav Gogoi, Chief Whip Kodikunnil Suresh and Samajwadi Party MP Dharmendra Yadav demanded that Home Minister Amit Shah make a statement in the House on the police crackdown on protesters and that the government initiate a discussion on the alleged embezzlement of funds at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, during which Prime Minister Narendra Modi could intervene.

The BAC allotted three hours each for discussion on the Bankers’ Books Evidence Bill and the Indian Statistical Institute Bill, and five hours for the Taxation and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill. However, there was no discussion on taking up the proposed amendments to the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA).

The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill replaces an ordinance promulgated earlier this year to raise the sanctioned strength of the apex court from 34 to 38 judges, including the Chief Justice of India. A statutory resolution moved by Opposition members seeking disapproval of the ordinance was rejected by voice vote.

Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal briefly introduced the Bill, but with protests continuing, it was passed by voice vote without debate. The government has argued that increasing the court’s strength is essential to address mounting pendency. As of January 1, the Supreme Court had 92,101 pending cases. The legislation says the additional judges would also enable the Chief Justice of India to constitute Constitution Benches more regularly. Five judges have already been appointed following the promulgation of the ordinance.

Amid the disruptions, the House also introduced the Indian Statistical Institute Bill, 2026, and the Bankers’ Books Evidence Bill, 2026.

The Indian Statistical Institute Bill seeks to repeal the 1959 Act governing the institution and incorporate it as a statutory body corporate with the President as its Visitor and a Board of Governors as its principal executive body. It also provides for an Academic Council headed by the Director to strengthen governance, research and academic autonomy while expanding the institute’s role in statistics, data science and allied disciplines.

The Bankers’ Books Evidence Bill, introduced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, seeks to replace the colonial-era 1891 law by recognising electronic, digital, virtual and cloud-based banking records as admissible evidence in courts. It also provides for digital authentication of records and empowers the Centre to extend the law to other financial sector entities. Both Bills were introduced by voice vote after Opposition members who had submitted notices opposing their introduction did not press their objections.