The EduLaw Daily Docket, Monday, May 18, 2026, The Expansion Issue
EduLaw EditorialDaily Legal UpdatesThe EduLaw, Daily Legal & Civic Intelligence The Daily Docket Monday, May 18, 2026, Vol. I, Issue 016, THE EXPANSION ISSUE , Law, Geopolitics, Markets, Polity SC Roundup 25 HC Pulse Tribunal Wire Listed Tuesday Statute Watch Bare Act Topic of the Day Quiz Flashcards Lead, The Day In One Sentence India's Supreme Court was formally expanded from 34 to 38 judges through the President's ordinance promulgated on May 17 and operational from Monday, while V.D. Satheesan was sworn in as the new Chief Minister of Kerala at the Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram with 21 ministers, even as PM Modi reached Oslo for the 3rd India Nordic Summit, Sensex closed flat at 75,315.04, and Kuki Zo tribals took to the streets in Manipur demanding the re imposition of President's Rule. Monday, May 18 was an institutional Monday. The Supreme Court grew. A new state government took oath. A high level European summit opened. And in Manipur, the question of who governs returned. The connecting thread is the architecture of the Indian executive, on judicial capacity, on state level democratic mandates, on diplomatic projection, and on the constitutional machinery itself. 37+1 SC Strength Per Ordinance, May 17, 2026 22 Kerala Cabinet CM + 21 ministers, sworn in +77 Sensex Close (pts) 75,315.04, +0.10% +6.5 Nifty Close (pts) 23,649.95, +0.03% 3rd India Nordic Summit Oslo, May 18 to 19, 2026 ~$95 Brent Crude Hormuz risk premium persists Today's Reading Plan Pick Your Lane, 25 Minutes Total Lead Story, SC Expansion 11 min Topic of the Day 8 min HC Pulse Scan 5 min Quiz and Flashcards 3 min The 90 Second Brief Lead, Polity President Droupadi Murmu promulgated the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Ordinance, 2026 on Sunday, May 17, raising the sanctioned strength of the Supreme Court from 33 to 37 judges, excluding the CJI , the highest in its history. Operational from Monday. Kerala, Government Congress leader V.D. Satheesan took oath as the new Chief Minister of Kerala at 10 a.m. at the Central Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram. Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath to the CM and 21 ministers designate. India Nordic Summit PM Modi arrived in Norway on May 18 for the 3rd India Nordic Summit hosted by Norwegian PM Jonas Gahr Store. First leg, bilateral with PM Store; Summit with PMs of Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Denmark on May 19. Markets Sensex recovered after a volatile session, closing up 77.05 points at 75,315.04 (+0.10%). Nifty 50 inched up 6.45 points to 23,649.95. Banking and IT supported the close; oil price uncertainty kept gains capped. SC, Federal Probe Adjournment in the ED v. State of West Bengal I PAC raids matter; the Court reserved its examination of the underlying ED plea on alleged interference by CM Mamata Banerjee and DGP Rajeev Kumar for the listed date of May 22 . Sweden, Diplomacy PM Modi was conferred Sweden's Royal Order of the Polar Star, Degree Commander Grand Cross on Sunday, May 17; the first Asian leader to receive the honour. India and Sweden simultaneously elevated ties to a Strategic Partnership. Manipur, Constitutional Thousands of Kuki Zo tribals took to the streets in Churachandpur and Kangpokpi districts, demanding re imposition of President's Rule in Manipur. CM Yumnam Khemchand Singh's three month government faces a sharp first test. Strait of Hormuz Brent crude climbed above $95 per barrel as Hormuz disruptions persisted into the new week. Oil traders are pricing a prolonged premium, complicating the RBI's June MPC inflation outlook and India's fuel pass through. WHO, Public Health The World Health Organization formally declared the ongoing Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in DR Congo and Uganda a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC); no licensed treatment or vaccine for the strain. Editor's Note Monday's headline event is institutional, not adversarial. With the Presidential ordinance of May 17 operational from this morning, the Supreme Court of India now stands at a sanctioned strength of 38 judges including the Chief Justice, the highest in its 75 year history. The previous expansion, from 31 to 34 (with CJI), was effected by the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Act of 2019. Today's expansion is being done by ordinance, with the Bill scheduled for parliamentary ratification in the Monsoon Session. The rationale is the case backlog, which crossed 86,000 pending matters in the latest registry tabulation. The constitutional question that practitioners and aspirants should hold in mind is the one we set out in the lead, that Article 124(1) makes the SC strength a matter for Parliament to determine by law, and the Article 123 ordinance route is constitutionally available when both Houses are not in session, which is the present position. The other big institutional story is the swearing in in Thiruvananthapuram. V.D. Satheesan, the Leader of the Opposition in the outgoing Assembly and the consensus UDF choice, took oath as Chief Minister at the Central Stadium with twenty one ministers, in the presence of Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. The Kerala swearing in formalises the UDF's return to power after a decade of LDF rule and closes the two week interregnum since the result. The floor test is expected this week. Constitutional law students should track the timing under Article 164(2) and the speaker's election under Article 178. Abroad, PM Modi was in Oslo for the 3rd India Nordic Summit. The Sweden leg over the weekend produced the Royal Order of the Polar Star, the first time the honour has gone to an Asian head of government. The Netherlands leg produced the India Netherlands Strategic Partnership 2026 to 2030 with seventeen agreements across semiconductors, green hydrogen, water management, and maritime sustainability. The Norway leg today produced a bilateral with PM Store and sets up Tuesday's Summit communique. This issue carries every recurring feature, the 25 HC Pulse, the Tribunal Wire, the Statute Watch, the Bare Act of the Day on Article 124, the Topic of the Day on judicial capacity, the How To Answer model, the Practising Lawyer's Corner, and the full interactive layer. Lead, Constitutional Law and Judicial Administration ⏱ 11 min read Court Of Thirty Eight, How An Ordinance Expanded The Supreme Court Of India Overnight Ordinance, May 17, 2026 Authority: President Droupadi Murmu, on Cabinet advice (May 5) Effective: May 18, 2026 Provisions: Article 123, Article 124(1), SC (Number of Judges) Act, 1956 30 Second Read The Action: President Droupadi Murmu, on the advice of the Union Cabinet (approval recorded May 5, 2026), promulgated the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Ordinance, 2026 on Sunday, May 17, 2026. The Numbers: The sanctioned strength of the Supreme Court is raised from 33 to 37 puisne judges , excluding the Chief Justice of India. Including the CJI, the total strength is now 38 , the highest in the Court's 75 year history. The Constitutional Route: Promulgated under Article 123 , which empowers the President to promulgate ordinances when both Houses of Parliament are not in session. The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026, is expected to be tabled in the Monsoon Session for ratification under Article 124(1). The Rationale: 86,742 cases pending in the registry as of the most recent compilation; judicial vacancies persisting across the system; the need for additional Benches to dispose of Constitution Bench matters. PYQ Connector, UPSC Mains 2023 GS II on judicial pendency; CLAT 2024 Prelims Q.62 on the strength of the Supreme Court; Delhi Judicial Services 2022 on Article 123 ordinance making power; West Bengal Judicial Services 2024 on Article 124(1) and the role of Parliament in fixing the number of judges. The Supreme Court was constituted under Article 124 with an original strength of eight judges including the Chief Justice. Parliament, exercising the power under Article 124(1), has since raised the strength six times, in 1956 (to 11), 1960 (to 14), 1977 (to 18), 1986 (to 26), 2008 (to 31) and 2019 (to 34). Today's expansion is the seventh, and the first to be effected by ordinance rather than by direct legislation. The substantive instrument is the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Ordinance, 2026, which amends Section 2 of the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956. The amended text fixes the total number of puisne judges at "thirty seven", up from the earlier "thirty three". Including the CJI, the new total is 38. The ordinance route was chosen because Parliament is currently not in session, both Houses having been prorogued at the end of the Budget Session. Article 123(1) empowers the President to promulgate an ordinance when both Houses are not in session, provided the President is satisfied that circumstances exist which render it necessary to take immediate action. The Union Cabinet recorded this satisfaction in its meeting of May 5, 2026. The ordinance was promulgated on May 17 and notified in the Gazette on the same day, operational from Monday, May 18. Three doctrinal points emerge for aspirants and practitioners. First , the strength of the Supreme Court is fixed by Parliament under Article 124(1), and the use of an ordinance to amend the figure is a constitutional novelty. The 2019 expansion was effected by an Act of Parliament. Second , the ordinance must, under Article 123(2), be laid before both Houses within six weeks of their reassembly, failing which it lapses. The Bill version, the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026, will be tabled in the Monsoon Session. Third , the ordinance does not by itself create new judges; it creates new sanctioned posts. Appointments to those posts continue to follow the Memorandum of Procedure and the Collegium framework articulated in the Second Judges Case, the Third Judges Case, and the post NJAC jurisprudence. Whereas Parliament is not in session and the President is satisfied that circumstances exist which render it necessary for her to take immediate action, the President is pleased to promulgate the following Ordinance. Preamble, Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Ordinance, 2026, promulgated May 17 (as reported by The Hindu, The Wire, MSN, Bar and Bench) The administrative consequences are immediate. The Collegium, led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, can now recommend names against the four newly created vacancies. The Memorandum of Procedure remains the operative document. The pendency rationale, while substantial, has been a recurring theme; the question that will be asked over the months ahead is whether four additional judges produce a proportionate reduction in pendency, or whether the bottleneck is structural and lies in vacancy management at the High Court level, in arrears at the trial court level, and in the practice of repeated adjournments at the senior counsel level. Today's expansion is a capacity intervention. The systemic answer requires the rest. The Constitutional Scales, Ordinance Route v. Bill Route SC Strength, Two Constitutional Pathways For the Ordinance Route Parliament not in session; case backlog above 86,000 matters; immediate need for additional capacity; Article 123 specifically contemplates urgency. Bill will be ratified in the Monsoon Session per Article 123(2). Subject matter (Article 124(1)) is within parliamentary competence; ordinance valid. ⚖ For the Critique The strength of the apex court is a structural constitutional matter; ordinance route circumvents parliamentary debate. D.C. Wadhwa v. State of Bihar , (1987) 1 SCC 378, cautions against ordinance making as a substitute for legislation. Article 124(1) language ("such other number of judges as Parliament may by law prescribe") emphasises Parliament. Reading: The ordinance is constitutionally valid (subject to standard D.C. Wadhwa caveats against re promulgation) and the Bill conversion in the Monsoon Session will resolve the legitimacy concern. The substantive policy question, whether four more judges materially address pendency, remains open and turns on appointment speed, Bench composition, and trial court vacancy resolution. Probability Meter UPSC Pre 92% UPSC Mains 88% CLAT 90% Judiciary 94% Interview 96% Prelims Trap Card Trap MCQ: "The strength of the Supreme Court of India is fixed by the Constitution itself and can only be altered by a constitutional amendment under Article 368." This is FALSE . Article 124(1) expressly provides that the Court shall consist of a Chief Justice and "such other number of judges as Parliament may by law prescribe". A simple law (or, as today, an ordinance under Article 123) suffices. Lock in: Original strength under the Constitution was eight (Chief Justice + 7). Subsequent expansions in 1956, 1960, 1977, 1986, 2008, 2019, and the 2026 ordinance, all by Parliament's ordinary legislative power under Article 124(1). The 2026 ordinance is the first by ordinance route; the Bill will follow in Monsoon Session. 38 Total Sanctioned Strength CJI + 37 puisne judges 4 New Posts Created Up from 34, including CJI 86,742 Pendency Cases in SC registry, current SC Strength, Seven Expansions Since 1950 Every change in the sanctioned strength of the Supreme Court of India, in order, including today's ordinance. 1950 Constitution comes into force Article 124(1) sets the Supreme Court's original strength at eight , Chief Justice plus seven puisne judges. Parliament empowered to alter by law. 1956 Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956 The parent enabling statute, originally fixing puisne strength at 10 (total 11). Subsequent amendments to this Act drive every expansion to follow. 1960 First Amendment, 1960 Strength raised to 14 (CJI + 13). Driven by post Reorganisation Act expansion of HC work and SLP volume. 1977 Second Amendment, 1977 Strength raised to 18. Post Emergency caseload and a doubling of SLP filings in the 1970s. 1986 Third Amendment, 1986 Strength raised to 26. Coincides with the Mandal era and the rise of writ petition volumes. 2008 Fourth Amendment, 2008 Strength raised to 31 (CJI + 30). Driven by liberalisation era commercial litigation and SLP backlog. 2019 Fifth Amendment, 2019 Strength raised to 34 (CJI + 33). The first expansion by Act of Parliament in over a decade. 2026 Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Ordinance, 2026 (today) Promulgated by President Murmu on May 17, operational May 18. Strength raised to 38 (CJI + 37). First expansion by ordinance route. Bill to be tabled in Monsoon Session. Supreme Court of India, Pendency Profile Across Decades Pending, 1985 ~12,000 Pending, 2000 ~20,000 Pending, 2010 ~54,000 Pending, 2020 ~62,000 Pending, 2024 ~80,000 Pending, 2026 (today) ~86,742 Indicative pendency series from National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG) and Supreme Court registry compilations. The 2026 ordinance must be assessed against the persistent pendency trend; capacity helps, but disposal rates depend on Bench composition and case management practices. Three Reader Lenses ★ Lawyer's Brief Plan for an expanded SC roster, with potentially three or four new Benches operational in the coming months once appointments crystallise. Senior counsel can expect tighter listings as the Court works through Constitution Bench backlog. Track the Collegium's recommendations under the Memorandum of Procedure for diversity of HC representation. ¶ UPSC and Judiciary Capsule Article 124(1) is now the most testable polity question for the next six months. Build the chain, Constitution 1950 (8), 1956 (11), 1960 (14), 1977 (18), 1986 (26), 2008 (31), 2019 (34), 2026 ordinance (38). Article 123 conditions, Article 124(2) appointment process, Memorandum of Procedure, Collegium jurisprudence. ♣ Citizen's Lens For the litigant, an expanded SC could mean faster listings on long pending matters, but the structural pendency drivers (low first appellate disposal, repeated adjournments, vacancy pipeline) sit elsewhere. The proof will be in disposal data over the next twelve months. Counsel Scorecard, Today's Appearances Who Argued What, And How It Landed SG Tushar Mehta Solicitor General Continued appearance for the Enforcement Directorate in the I PAC raids matter; FIRs against ED officials remain stayed (per May 15 order); underlying interference plea against CM Mamata Banerjee and DGP Rajeev Kumar listed for May 22 . Carried, Listed Sr. Adv. Kapil Sibal For State of WB Continued opposition to the ED's interpretation of state police FIRs; preparing for the May 22 hearing on alleged interference. Pending Sr. Adv. Abhishek Manu Singhvi Misc. Constitution Bench matters Appearances continuing in CEC and EC Appointments Act, 2023 reference proceedings; bench has been deliberating on a possible larger bench reference. Continuing Counsel for V.D. Satheesan Kerala swearing in No active litigation; ceremonial day. Constitutional law watchers tracking the timing of the floor test under Article 164(2) and Article 174 summoning. N/A, Ceremonial Counsel for FAIMA NEET SC chamber listing FAIMA plea seeking NTA restructuring and court monitored NEET UG re exam continues to be processed for bench listing; the CJI's chamber list is expected to fix a date shortly. Pending Listing Counsel for petitioner, ADJ Soni Gujarat HC follow up Following the May 15 dismissal of his plea and the recommendation of contempt proceedings, counsel is preparing the SLP route to the Supreme Court. SLP Anticipated 3 Sentence Revision Note What happened: On May 17, 2026, President Droupadi Murmu, on the advice of the Union Cabinet (recorded May 5), promulgated the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Ordinance, 2026, raising the sanctioned strength of the Court from 33 to 37 puisne judges (38 including the CJI); operational May 18. The principle: Article 124(1) empowers Parliament to fix the number of SC judges by law; Article 123 enables the President to promulgate an ordinance with the force of law when both Houses are not in session, subject to laying before Parliament within six weeks of reassembly. For your citation file: Anchor cases, R.K. Garg v. Union of India , (1981) 4 SCC 675 (validity of ordinance making power), D.C. Wadhwa v. State of Bihar , (1987) 1 SCC 378 (against re promulgation), Krishna Kumar Singh v. State of Bihar , (2017) 3 SCC 1 (effect of lapsed ordinances). Self Check Quiz, 3 Questions Did You Read the Lead Carefully? Q1. After the May 17, 2026 ordinance, what is the total sanctioned strength of the Supreme Court of India, including the Chief Justice of India? A 34 B 37 C 38 D 40 Answer: C. The ordinance fixes the puisne strength at 37; including the CJI the total is 38. Sources: The Hindu, MSN, Bar and Bench. Q2. Which constitutional article empowers the President to promulgate the ordinance that raised the SC strength? A Article 124 B Article 123 C Article 213 D Article 368 Answer: B. Article 123 empowers the President to promulgate ordinances when both Houses of Parliament are not in session. Article 213 is the corresponding state level power for Governors. Article 124 is the substantive article fixing the SC's existence and minimum strength. Q3. Within what period must the Ordinance be laid before both Houses of Parliament once they reassemble? A Two months B Three months C Six weeks D Six months Answer: C. Under Article 123(2)(a), the ordinance ceases to operate at the expiration of six weeks from the reassembly of Parliament. Maximum life of an unratified ordinance is six months plus six weeks (because Article 85(1) caps the inter session gap at six months). Topic of the Day, Beyond the News Capacity, Composition, And The Constitution, What An Expanded Supreme Court Means For Pendency, Federalism, And The Memorandum Of Procedure A close to 1,500 word deep dive into the constitutional architecture of the Supreme Court, the doctrinal evolution since the First Judges Case, and what the four new posts created today will actually change. The Supreme Court of India was conceived by the Constituent Assembly as a court of constitutional adjudication first, and of appeals second. The original sanctioned strength of eight, articulated in Article 124(1), was set with that conception in mind. Seventy six years later, the Court hears thirty plus admission matters per Bench per day, sits in approximately fifteen Benches simultaneously when at full strength, and carries a pendency in the high eighty thousands. Today's expansion to thirty eight is therefore not merely an arithmetic adjustment. It is the latest in a long succession of expansions, and the policy question for the next year will be whether four additional judges can produce a proportionate reduction in pendency, or whether the binding constraints lie elsewhere in the system. 1 Capacity Sanctioned strength of the SC, fixed by Parliament under Article 124(1). The 2026 ordinance raises it to 38. 2 Composition Diversity of region, gender, religion, social background among judges. Governed by the Memorandum of Procedure under the Collegium framework. 3 Constitution The institutional role of the Court in Indian constitutional democracy, especially under the basic structure doctrine. The architecture of judicial appointments has evolved through three doctrinal phases. The First Judges Case , S.P. Gupta v. Union of India , AIR 1982 SC 149, held that the word "consultation" in Article 124(2) did not mean concurrence; the executive primacy was largely intact. The Second Judges Case , Supreme Court Advocates on Record Association v. Union of India , (1993) 4 SCC 441, reversed this and read "consultation" to mean concurrence in substance, vesting effective primacy in the CJI and a Collegium. The Third Judges Case , In re Special Reference No. 1 of 1998 , (1998) 7 SCC 739, clarified the Collegium's composition for the SC at five members (CJI + four seniormost puisne judges). The 99th Constitutional Amendment and the National Judicial Appointments Commission Act, 2014, sought to reverse the Collegium model. The NJAC judgment , Supreme Court Advocates on Record Association v. Union of India , (2016) 5 SCC 1, struck down both as violative of the basic structure (judicial independence). Today's ordinance does not touch any of this. It deals only with the sanctioned strength. The Collegium remains the operative selection body. The Memorandum of Procedure, last updated in 2017, remains the operative document. The four new posts created by today's ordinance must be filled through the Collegium's recommendations, after consultation with the seniormost judges from the parent High Court, after observation of the Memorandum's criteria of seniority, integrity, and competence, and after the executive (Department of Justice) processes the names without unreasonable delay. This last is an open chapter, since the executive has, over the past decade, periodically sat on Collegium recommendations and used silence as a soft veto, a pattern that led to the high publicity exchanges in the Anjali Bhardwaj proceedings. The pendency arithmetic is worth setting out. At a sanctioned strength of 34, the SC was disposing of roughly 38,000 to 42,000 matters per year, in net terms, with an annual filing rate of approximately 50,000 matters. That is, every year, the Court adds 8,000 to 12,000 to its pendency. Four additional judges, assuming proportional output of 1,100 matters per judge per year, could add 4,400 in disposal capacity. That narrows the gap, it does not close it. The binding constraint, the registry data suggests, is the rate of admission of SLPs, which is itself a function of HC backlogs. The Law Commission's 230th Report and various ministry papers have argued that the systemic fix involves greater filtering at the SLP stage, expansion of HC strength, and a commercial divisions model for high volume civil litigation. Today's expansion is therefore necessary but not sufficient. Federalism implications are also non trivial. With four new posts, the Collegium will have flexibility to address the under representation of certain regions. As of May 18, the SC has Justices from approximately twelve of the twenty five HCs; the gaps are in the smaller HCs of the North East and the high pendency HCs of central India. There has historically been a tension between strict seniority based selection and the desire to ensure regional representation, the tension surfacing recurrently in MoP debates. The next Collegium meetings, expected later this week, will be watched for whether they begin to recommend names for the new posts. The Bill route remains the next step. Article 123(2) requires that the ordinance be laid before both Houses within six weeks of their reassembly. The Monsoon Session is scheduled to commence in the second half of July 2026. The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026, will be tabled at the start of the session and is expected to be passed without significant opposition, the precedent being the 2019 expansion which was passed with broad consensus. If the Bill is not passed within six weeks (or if Parliament expresses disapproval), the ordinance lapses, and the additional posts would technically cease, though appointments already made would survive under Krishna Kumar Singh v. State of Bihar , (2017) 3 SCC 1, which clarified the "enduring effects" doctrine. The aspirant's answer that scores highly does three things. First, it sets out Article 124(1) and the constitutional architecture. Second, it lays out the historical sequence of expansions (1956, 1960, 1977, 1986, 2008, 2019, 2026). Third, it articulates the pendency arithmetic and the systemic constraints that capacity expansion alone cannot resolve. The opinion paragraph that is required at the end of any Mains answer should acknowledge that today's ordinance is a necessary intervention, that the more durable answer involves HC strength, MoP reform, and case management practice, and that the next twelve months will be a test of whether the four new posts are filled with speed and quality. Reader Poll, Yesterday's Results Is the ordinance route the right instrument for expanding the Supreme Court's sanctioned strength? Yes, urgency justifies it 34% No, this needed parliamentary debate first 48% Only if the Bill is ratified in the Monsoon Session 14% No view 4% Indicative reader sample. Tomorrow's poll question on the Kerala floor test appears below the Glossary. Bare Act of the Day, Annotated Article 124 of the Constitution of India The constitutional foundation of the Supreme Court of India, including the strength provision that today's ordinance amends. 124. Establishment and constitution of Supreme Court. (1) There shall be a Supreme Court of India consisting of a Chief Justice of India and, until Parliament by law prescribes a larger number, of not more than seven other Judges. (2) Every Judge of the Supreme Court shall be appointed by the President by warrant under his hand and seal on the recommendation of the National Judicial Appointments Commission referred to in article 124A and shall hold office until he attains the age of sixty five years. [Note: The reference to the NJAC in clause (2), introduced by the 99th Amendment, was struck down by the Supreme Court in 2015 (NJAC judgment). The pre 99th Amendment text, requiring "consultation" with the CJI and senior judges as interpreted by the Second and Third Judges Cases (Collegium framework), continues to operate.] The Strength Provision Article 124(1) sets the original strength at 7 puisne judges plus the CJI (total 8). The phrase "until Parliament by law prescribes a larger number" is the constitutional anchor for the seven expansions, including today's ordinance which uses Article 123 to amend the parent Act. The Appointment Provision Article 124(2) governs appointment. The 99th Amendment provision is dead (NJAC judgment); the pre 99th Amendment text and the Collegium jurisprudence (Second and Third Judges Cases) operate. The Memorandum of Procedure articulates the practical workflow. Tenure and Removal Age limit: 65 years (124(2)) Removal: by Parliament under 124(4), grounds of proven misbehaviour or incapacity; majority of total membership plus two thirds present and voting Resignation: in writing to the President The Five Case Doctrine S.P. Gupta 1981, First Judges Case SCAORA v. UoI 1993, Second Judges Case Re Special Ref 1 of 1998 , Third Judges Case SCAORA v. UoI 2015, NJAC judgment D.C. Wadhwa 1987, against ordinance re promulgation Today's Connection The ordinance amends Section 2 of the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956 (the operative enabling statute). It does not amend Article 124 itself, which would require a constitutional amendment under Article 368. The constitutional authority comes from the phrase "Parliament by law prescribes". Drafting Tip for Aspirants When writing answers, always anchor the strength expansion in Article 124(1) (the empowering language), and the ordinance in Article 123 (the procedural route). Distinguish constitutional amendment (Article 368, required for changing the basic Article itself) from statutory amendment under Article 124(1) language. PYQ Connector, UPSC Prelims 2014 on the SC's sanctioned strength; UPSC Mains 2019 GS II on judicial independence; CLAT 2021 on Article 124; Delhi Judicial Services 2018 on the NJAC judgment and basic structure. Hover to Flip Flashcards Hover or tap each card to reveal the answer. Built for one week retention of today's content. Flashcard 1 What is the new sanctioned strength of the Supreme Court of India after the May 17, 2026 ordinance? Hover to flip Answer 38 , that is CJI + 37 puisne judges. Up from 34 under the 2019 expansion. Flashcard 2 Which constitutional provision empowers the President to promulgate ordinances? Hover to flip Answer Article 123 . Requires that both Houses are not in session and the President is satisfied that immediate action is necessary. Must be laid before Parliament within six weeks of reassembly. Flashcard 3 Who took oath as the new Chief Minister of Kerala on May 18, 2026? Hover to flip Answer Congress leader V.D. Satheesan , at the Central Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram. Oath administered by Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar. Sworn in along with 21 ministers. Flashcard 4 Which honour was conferred on PM Modi by Sweden on May 17, 2026? Hover to flip Answer Royal Order of the Polar Star, Degree Commander Grand Cross . First Asian leader to receive the honour. Coincided with elevation of India Sweden ties to a Strategic Partnership. Flashcard 5 In which year was the previous SC strength expansion (from 31 to 34) effected, and by what instrument? Hover to flip Answer In 2019 , by the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Act, 2019 (passed by Parliament). The 2026 ordinance is the first expansion via Article 123 ordinance route. Flashcard 6 Where was the 3rd India Nordic Summit hosted on May 18 to 19, 2026? Hover to flip Answer Oslo, Norway . Hosted by Norwegian PM Jonas Gahr Store. Attended by PMs of India, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, and Denmark. 25 HC Pulse, Daily Recurring ⏱ 5 min scan The 25 HC Pulse, Every Major High Court, May 18, 2026 The Monday opening of the working week produced a smaller spread of reportable orders than Friday, with the Delhi HC delivering two supplementary pronouncements, the Allahabad HC sitting in special listing arrangements, and the Calcutta HC continuing the compliance review on post poll violence. All India HC Pulse Date: May 18, 2026 , Source: LiveLaw, Bar and Bench, HC websites High Court Matter Key Order or Observation Tag Delhi Multiple pronouncements Delhi HC published a supplementary pronouncement on May 18 in two matters, plus the main pronouncement; the registry recorded ARB.P. 412/2026 (BizLoan v. Rajesh Kumar) among today's listings. Commercial Allahabad Special listing arrangements Per the HC's notice (16 May 2026), the Court convened on May 18 with supplementary Constitution of Benches arrangements for the period. Continuing scrutiny of UP Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion Act FIR misuse. Criminal Calcutta Post poll violence, compliance Continuing compliance review under the May 14 direction, after Mamata Banerjee's personal appearance. Today's listing focused on police station wise FIR registration data; further compliance fixed. PIL Bombay WP 4923/2024 disposal The HC disposed of writ petition WP 4923/2024 (Manohar Narsappa Patil v. State) on May 18 per the recent orders list; routine writ disposal. Writ Madras Routine docket; OSD follow up Continuing administrative cleanup post the CM Vijay government's withdrawal of the astrologer OSD appointment; no fresh reportable headline today. Writ Gujarat Post May 15 contempt aftermath Routine docket; the ADJ Soni contempt recommendation continues to be processed administratively; no further listing on the contempt matter on May 18. Contempt FU Karnataka Routine docket No major reportable headline order on May 18. Civil Kerala Pre swearing in administrative The HC's administrative side was on a half day given the swearing in of the new CM at the Central Stadium; routine listings only. Civil Punjab and Haryana Routine docket No major reportable headline order on May 18. Civil Telangana Routine service docket No major reportable headline order on May 18. Service Rajasthan Routine civil docket No major reportable headline order on May 18. Civil Madhya Pradesh Routine bail and criminal No major reportable headline order on May 18. Criminal Patna Routine criminal docket No major reportable headline order on May 18. Criminal Jharkhand Routine civil and criminal No major reportable headline order on May 18. Civil Chhattisgarh Routine docket No major reportable headline order on May 18. Civil Orissa Routine docket No major reportable headline order on May 18. Civil Gauhati NE region docket, Manipur watch Routine docket; HC observers tracking the Kuki Zo protest situation in Manipur and any anticipated writ filings. Civil Andhra Pradesh Routine writ docket No major reportable headline order on May 18. Writ Sikkim Routine docket No major reportable headline order on May 18. Civil Manipur Constitutional watch HC monitoring the law and order situation in Churachandpur and Kangpokpi; no formal listing on the President's Rule demand. Civil Meghalaya Routine docket No major reportable headline order on May 18. Civil Tripura Routine docket No major reportable headline order on May 18. Civil Uttarakhand Routine docket Routine; the Deepali Sharma matter (Uttarakhand HC origin) was listed at the SC on May 18 (Diary 20390/2026). Civil Himachal Pradesh Routine docket No major reportable headline order on May 18. Civil J and K and Ladakh Routine docket No major reportable headline order on May 18. Service Docket Heatmap, Where the Pressure Is Today State by state visualisation of reportable headline orders on May 18, 2026. Monday is a cool open after Friday's heat. Delhi 2 Supplementary pronouncements Uttar Pradesh 1 Special listing West Bengal 1 Post poll compliance Maharashtra 1 Writ disposal Kerala 0 Swearing in Tamil Nadu 0 Routine Karnataka 0 Routine Gujarat 0 Routine Telangana 0 Routine Rajasthan 0 Routine Madhya Pradesh 0 Routine Punjab Haryana 0 Routine 2 or more reportable orders 1 reportable order No reportable headline Tribunal Wire, Daily Recurring ⏱ 4 min scan Tribunal Wire, NCLAT, ITAT, SEBI, NGT and CCI Quasi Judicial Daily Wire Date: May 18, 2026, Source: Tribunal websites, LiveLaw Biz, regulator portals Forum Matter Order or Development Why It Matters NCLAT IBC matters resumed NCLAT Court IV matters that were not taken up on May 15 were rescheduled to May 18 per the registry notice; the bench worked through approximately a dozen IBC matters today. Practitioner impact, scheduling. NCLAT (II) Certified copy compliance The SC's earlier ruling that NCLAT appeals filed without a certified copy of the NCLT order are liable to threshold rejection continues to feature in registry scrutiny. Mandatory checklist change for IBC counsel. SEBI Derivatives market regulation reform SEBI's consultation paper on derivatives market regulations under SEBI (SECC) Regulations and the SCRA remains open for comment; industry consultation continues this week. Significant for derivatives desks, exchanges. NCLT Routine CIRP admissions Multiple bench level disposals on May 18; no major cross bench reportable headline order. Routine. ITAT Buyback consideration interplay Continuing application of Friday's Delhi HC ruling that share buybacks are not income in the hands of recipient shareholders; ITAT benches asked to consider in pending matters. Tax practitioners watch spillover. NGT State compliance docket Routine state level pollution and project compliance matters; no major reportable headline on May 18. Routine. CCI SEP FRAND continuing February 2026 Intel penalty of Rs 27.38 crore for dominance abuse continues to feature in appellate analysis; SEP FRAND jurisprudence remains layered through this. Competition IP boundary live. CESTAT Routine GST and customs appeals Standard appeal docket on May 18; no major reportable headline. Routine. AFT Routine docket No major reportable headline on May 18. Routine. Listed Tuesday, May 19, 2026 What is in the Court Calendars for the Working Day, And Why It Matters SC, CB CEC and EC Appointments Act, 2023, continued hearings. The Constitution Bench is expected to continue Tuesday on the reference question on whether to refer the matter to a larger bench. Counsel for petitioners and the Union to be heard. Watch: Whether the Bench refers or decides on the present coram. SC UGC Equity Regulations 2026, returnable. Counter affidavits from the Centre and UGC expected on the Returnable date. Watch: Whether the Bench appoints a Court committee for redrafting. Kerala HC V.D. Satheesan floor test timeline. Constitutional cut off for summoning the Assembly under Article 174 is May 23; the Speaker's election and floor test under Article 164(2) expected Tuesday or Wednesday. Watch: UDF coalition discipline on the first floor vote. Calcutta HC Post poll violence, compliance review. Continuing compliance reporting on the May 14 directions; the Tuesday listing is expected to take up specific police station data. Allahabad HC UP Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, accountability review. The Court flagged a surge in false conversion FIRs and sought accountability from the UP government; further listings expected. SC ED v. State of West Bengal, I PAC raids, May 22 listing. The matter on alleged interference by CM Mamata Banerjee, DGP Rajeev Kumar, and others remains listed for May 22. Today's SC and Significant Court Rulings, Expandable Deep Dive Click each ruling to read the full analysis. All four matters were significant on May 18, 2026. Polity Ruling 1, Supreme Court Strength Raised to 38 by Ordinance President Droupadi Murmu, on the advice of the Union Cabinet (recorded May 5, 2026), promulgated the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Ordinance, 2026, on Sunday, May 17, 2026. The Ordinance amends Section 2 of the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956, raising the puisne strength from 33 to 37; the total strength including the CJI is now 38, the highest in the Court's 75 year history. Constitutional route, Article 123 (ordinance making power, Parliament not in session). Substantive anchor, Article 124(1) (Parliament empowered to fix the SC's strength by law). The Bill version is expected in the Monsoon Session for parliamentary ratification. President Droupadi Murmu, May 17, 2026; operational May 18 Constitutional Ruling 2, V.D. Satheesan Sworn In as Kerala CM Congress leader V.D. Satheesan took oath as the Chief Minister of Kerala at 10 a.m. at the Central Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram, on May 18, 2026. Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath of office and secrecy. The Chief Minister was sworn in along with 21 ministers designate. Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi V