The number of Judges in the Supreme Court can be increased by

According to Article 124(1) of the Constitution of India, the Supreme Court shall consist of a Chief Justice of India and, until Parliament by law prescribes a larger number, of not more than seven other judges. This constitutional provision grants the power to increase the number of judges exclusively to the Parliament.

The Parliament exercises this power by passing an ordinary legislation known as the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956. This Act has been amended several times to increase the strength of the court. For instance, the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Act, 2019, increased the sanctioned strength from 31 to 34 judges (including the Chief Justice). Neither the President nor the Chief Justice has the independent authority to increase the sanctioned strength; it must be done through a legislative act.