The Hindu Editorial Analysis : 19th May 2026

The Hindu Editorial Analysis

We understand the significance of reading The Hindu newspaper for enhancing reading skills, improving comprehension of passages, staying informed about current events, enhancing essay writing, and more, especially for banking aspirants who need to focus on editorials for vocabulary building. This article will explore today’s editorial points, along with practice questions and key vocabulary.

Ordinance Raises Supreme Court Judge Strength to 37

• President Droupadi Murmu has issued an ordinance increasing the number of judges in the Supreme Court to 37, excluding the Chief Justice of India (CJI).
• The Gazette notification issued on May 16 said that Parliament is not in session and the President believes that immediate action is necessary through an ordinance.
• The ordinance has been issued under Article 123 of the Constitution, which gives the President the power to issue ordinances when Parliament is not in session.
• The ordinance is called the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Ordinance, 2026.
• The ordinance will be placed before both Houses of Parliament when Parliament meets again.
• The ordinance will stop working if six weeks pass after Parliament reassembles without approval, or if both Houses pass resolutions rejecting it.
• The President also has the power to withdraw the ordinance at any time.
• The ordinance changes Section 2 of the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956 by replacing the word “thirty-three” with “thirty-seven”.
• The ordinance was issued nearly two weeks after the Union Cabinet approved the proposal to increase the number of Supreme Court judges.
• With the ordinance coming into effect, the total approved strength of the Supreme Court, including the CJI, will increase from 34 to 38 judges.
• The move is being seen as an effort to reduce the long-standing problem of pending cases in the Supreme Court, which became worse after the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The increase in pending cases became more serious after the e-filing system for cases became widely used during and after the pandemic.
• The present backlog of cases in the Supreme Court has crossed 93,000.
• The number of pending cases is likely to reach one lakh soon, especially because the court will enter summer recess, called “partial working days”, in June.
• The government approved the increase in judges after a gap of six years.
• Parliament had last amended Section 2 of the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956 in 2019.
• The 2019 amendment had increased the approved strength of Supreme Court judges from 30 to 33, excluding the Chief Justice of India.
• At present, there are two vacancies in the Supreme Court.
• One vacancy was created after the retirement of former Chief Justice of India Justice B.R. Gavai in November 2025.
• The second vacancy was created after Justice Rajesh Bindal retired in April 2026.
• Three more Supreme Court judges are scheduled to retire during 2026.
• Justice J.K. Maheshwari and Justice Pankaj Mithal are expected to retire in June 2026.
• Justice Sanjay Karol is scheduled to retire in August 2026.
• The makers of the Constitution had originally provided under Article 124(1) that the Supreme Court would consist of the Chief Justice of India and “not more than seven judges” unless Parliament increased the number through a law.
• The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956, when first passed, fixed the maximum number of judges, excluding the CJI, at 10.
• The strength was later increased to 13 through the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Act, 1960.
• Another amendment later increased the number of judges from 13 to 17.
• The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Act, 1986 further increased the number of Supreme Court judges from 17 to 25, excluding the CJI.
• Another amendment in 2009 increased the approved strength from 25 to 30 judges.
• This was followed by the 2019 amendment, which increased the strength from 30 to 33 judges excluding the Chief Justice of India.

Trade, Energy, and Global Conflicts Dominate Agenda During PM’s Norway Visit

• Trade and energy supply will be the main focus as Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in Norway on Monday for the first bilateral visit by an Indian Prime Minister to the country in 43 years.
• Norway is one of the world’s biggest exporters of oil and gas.
• Modi is expected to hold talks with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, and both leaders will jointly attend a business summit aimed at increasing markets and technology cooperation between the two countries.
• The visit will also include the 3rd Nordic-India Summit on Tuesday, which will bring together leaders of the five Nordic countries — Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, and Denmark.
• The summit had been cancelled last year after the Pahalgam terrorist attack and the four-day India-Pakistan conflict.
• Discussions during both bilateral and multilateral meetings are also expected to include the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine, Iran, and Gaza.
• India and Norway are expected to announce three government-to-government MoUs related to health cooperation, digital infrastructure, and space cooperation.
• At least 18 agreements between businesses are expected during the visit, with many deals related to the energy sector.
• Norwegian Ambassador to India May-Elin Stener told The Hindu that talks on energy cooperation between the two countries are increasing, and several business agreements in the energy sector are likely to be signed.
• She also mentioned a major LNG shipment delivered to India last week under a 15-year agreement with Norwegian energy company Equinor.
• India is also expected to seek larger investments from Norwegian pension funds, which are considered among the richest in the world, according to the Ministry of External Affairs briefing last week.
• Figures from the Ministry of External Affairs show that more than 700 Nordic companies currently operate in India, while around 150 Indian companies have business presence in Nordic countries.
• Experts believe that India’s trade in goods and services with Nordic countries, currently around $19 billion, is still much below its full potential, and both sides are looking for greater cooperation opportunities.
• The timing of Mr. Modi’s Norway visit and the Nordic Summit is being considered important because this is the first meeting of the leaders since 2022.
• Major global developments since the last summit — including the Russia-Ukraine War, Israel’s military action in Gaza after the October 7 attacks, and the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran — have strongly affected the global economy.
• Ambassador Stener said that the world has changed greatly since the previous Nordic-India Summit, and all five Nordic countries are interested in discussing geopolitical issues with the leader of the world’s most populated country.
• She added that discussions will also strongly focus on climate issues, green future plans, sustainability, and cooperation among democratic countries.
• Attention will also be on India’s response to U.S. sanctions waivers on Russian oil, which ended on Saturday.
• Modi also held detailed talks on Sunday with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, focusing on trade, technology, defence, and several other important sectors.
• Modi, who arrived on Sunday, was awarded the Royal Order of the Polar Star, Degree Commander Grand Cross for his exceptional contribution to India-Sweden relations and his strong leadership.

D. Satheesan announces names of 20 UDF Ministers; Kerala Cabinet to be sworn in today

• A day before taking oath, Kerala Chief Minister-designate V. D. Satheesan announced the 20-member Council of Ministers of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) government on Sunday.
• The Congress party will have 11 Ministers in the Cabinet: Ramesh Chennithala, Sunny Joseph, K. Muraleedharan, A. P. Anil Kumar, P. C. Vishnunadh, T. Siddique, Bindu Krishna, K. A. Thulasi, Roji M. John, M. Liju, and O. J. Janeesh.
• Five MLAs from the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) will also take oath as Ministers: K. Kunhalikutty, N. Shamsudeen, K. M. Shaji, P. K. Basheer, and V. E. Abdul Gafoor.
• Ministers-designate from other alliance partners include Mons Joseph from the Kerala Congress, Shibu Baby John from the Revolutionary Socialist Party, Anoop Jacob from Kerala Congress (Jacob), and C. P. John from the Communist Marxist Party.
• Congress leaders Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan and Shanimol Usman will serve as the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly respectively, according to Mr. Satheesan.
• Large-scale preparations have been made for the swearing-in ceremony, which is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. at the Central Stadium.
• Governor Rajendra Arlekar will administer the oath of office to Mr. Satheesan and his Cabinet.
• Several senior political leaders will attend the ceremony, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who will become Kerala’s new Opposition leader, CPI State secretary Binoy Viswam, and BJP State president and MLA Rajeev Chandrasekhar.
• Satheesan announced the names of the Ministers-designate after meeting Governor Rajendra Arlekar at the Lok Bhavan on Sunday and submitting the official list of Ministers.
• The IUML stated that its MLA Parakkal Abdulla will replace one of the party’s Ministers after two-and-a-half years to ensure representation for Kozhikode district in the Cabinet.
• While speaking at a press conference, Mr. Satheesan said that the allocation of portfolios is currently being finalized.
• He added that the portfolio details would be shared with the Governor after Monday’s swearing-in ceremony and later published through an official government gazette.
• Satheesan said that, for the first time in 60 years, a “complete Cabinet” would take oath together.
• Describing himself as a “Nehruvian socialist,” Kerala’s next Chief Minister said that the UDF government would work towards building a “Puthuyuga Keralam” or “new-age Kerala.”

Important Questions

1. Under which Article of the Constitution does the President have the power to issue an ordinance when Parliament is not in session?
2. From 34 to 38 judges, by how much has the total sanctioned strength of the Supreme Court increased after the ordinance?
3. Which five Nordic countries will participate in the 3rd Nordic-India Summit during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Norway visit?
4. Which Norwegian energy company delivered a major LNG consignment to India under a 15-year agreement?
5. Which Governor will administer the oath of office to V. D. Satheesan and the Kerala Cabinet?
6. Which IUML MLA will replace one of the party’s Ministers after two-and-a-half years?

Important Vocabulary

1. Promulgated — officially announced or declared.
2. Sanctioned — officially approved.
3. Pendency — the state of cases remaining undecided.
4. Reassembly — meeting again after a break.
5. Bilateral — involving two countries or sides.
6. Collaboration — working together for a common purpose.
7. Geopolitical — related to international political relations.
8. Sustainability — ability to continue without harming resources or environment.
9. Unveiled — officially revealed or announced.
10. Designate — chosen for a position but not yet started.
11. Allocation — distribution or assignment of something.
12. Gazette — an official government publication.

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