Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla conducts the proceedings of the House during the Monsoon Session of Parliament, in New Delhi on Wednesday. (Source: ANI)
On the ninth day of the Monsoon Session, the Lok Sabha is scheduled to take up the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026, for consideration and passing on Thursday. The Bill, to be moved by Law and Justice Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, seeks to amend the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956, to increase the sanctioned strength of the apex court from 34 to 38 judges. At present, the Act provides for a maximum of 33 judges, excluding the Chief Justice of India. Under the existing law, the apex court can have a maximum of 33 judges, excluding the CJI. The Cabinet had approved the proposal in May.
Anti-paper leak Bill: The Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed the Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, bringing in stricter measures to curb exam paper leaks. A voice vote passed the legislation after a two-day debate, which saw repeated disruptions and multiple adjournments. The Opposition accused the government of ordering police brutality during the July 20 police action against students. This led to stormy scenes on the floor and protests from the treasury benches. One of the words used by Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi during his speech on Wednesday was later expunged from the House records. Later, the government hailed the passage of the Bill.
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The Rajya Sabha is set to consider and pass the exam leak bill on Thursday. The Upper House will also consider the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development (Amendment) Bill 2026, which proposes changes to the MSME Development Act 2006, to improve payment systems, make compliance easier and speed up the resolution of disputes involving micro, small and medium enterprises.
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