 bill no 135 of 1977 the supreme court (number of judges) amendment bill, 1977 a billfutthet to amend the supreme court (numbe-r of judges) act, 1956 be it enacted by parliament in the twenty-eighth year of the republic of india as follows:-short title 1 this act may be called the supreme court (number of judges) amendment act, 1977 55 of 1958 s z in aedioll z of the supreme court (number of juqes) act, 1_, for the 'word "thirteea", the wonlltaevent  "  11 he substituted amendment of section 2  statement of objects and reasonsthe maximum number of judges of the supreme court which under 8irticl:e 124 (1) of the constitution was fixed at seven, excluding the chief justice, was raised to ten by the supreme court (number of judges) act, 1956 (55 of 1956) this number was subsequently raised to thirteen by the supreme court (number of judges) amendment act, 1960 (17 of 1960)  the institutions have increased from 3241 in 1960 to 8254 in 1976 and the pendency has gone up from, 2319 cases in 1960 to 14,109 in 1976 the chief justice has proposed that as the arrears of cases have mounted and are going up daily, the sanctioned strengtli of the judges of the supreme court may be increased the present bill accordingly seeks to amend the supreme court (number of judges) act, 1956, so as to provide that the maximum number of judges of the supreme court, excluding the chief justice, shall be seventeen new delhi; shanti bhushan the 14th november, 1977 the bill provides for an increase in the maximum strength of the supreme court by four more judges the salary to be paid to each of these judges will be rs 4,000 per mensem and they will also be,entitled to the use of an official residence without payment of rent under rule 4 of the supreme court judges rules, 1959, coitv'yance allowance of rs 300 per month and sumptuary allowance of lu, 300 per month, the 'total cost on account 'of these judges will, therefore, be rs, 2,20,800 per annum plus the cost of maintaining four official residences~ there will be no non-recurring expendi'ture  anm:xure extract from the supreme coubt (number of judges) act, 1958(55 01' 1956) - - - - - 2 the maximum number of judges of the supreme court, excluding the chief justice of india, shall be thirteen - - - - - maximum number 01 supreme court judges other than chief justice r r  _ ~_  _u,  ,:,  _,  <6";, - a bill further to amend the supreme court (number of judges) act, 1956 