New Delhi, Feb. 21: The Union cabinet today cleared a proposal to increase the number of judges in the Supreme Court to 31 from the constitutionally fixed 26.

The move is aimed at easing the workload on judges in the country’s top court, a government release said.

“The increase in the number of judges will allow the Supreme Court to function more efficiently and effectively towards attaining the ultimate goal of rendering speedy justice to the litigant public,” said a release issued by the Press Information Bureau.

The release said the cabinet approved a proposal to introduce a bill to amend the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956, to increase the strength of judges, excluding the Chief Justice, from 25 to 30.

There are at present 24 judges in the apex court, two short of the mandated 26. No woman judge figures among the 24.

At last count, the apex court had some 30,000 cases pending before it.