The strength of the sanctioned judges of the Supreme Court (SC) of India, including the Chief Justice, is ______.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Explanation
Correct Answer
34
Explanation
The correct choice listed in the standard options provided for this question is 34. According to the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Act enacted in 2019, the sanctioned strength of the Supreme Court of India was set at 34 judges, which explicitly breaks down to 1 Chief Justice of India (CJI) and 33 other judges. Prior to this 2019 amendment, the total sanctioned strength of the apex court stood at 31 judges (1 CJI + 30 judges).
Recent Update: While 34 remains the expected answer according to standard academic questionnaires tracking historical acts, the Government of India promulgated the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Ordinance in May 2026. This newly raised the total maximum sanctioned strength to 38 judges (1 CJI + 37 judges) to curb a rising backlog of court cases.
Key Points
Article 124(1) of the Indian Constitution grants the Parliament the absolute authority to prescribe and alter the total number of judges in the Supreme Court by law.
When the Supreme Court of India was inaugurated on January 28, 1950, its initial structural composition consisted of just 8 judges (1 Chief Justice + 7 other judges).
The structural mechanism used to suggest new appointments to these sanctioned benches is governed by the Supreme Court Collegium system, which is a body composed of the CJI and the four senior-most judges of the court.
Important Questions and Answers
Question: Which constitutional article grants the Parliament of India the specific power to alter or increase the number of Supreme Court judges?
Answer: Article 124(1) of the Constitution of India grants Parliament the power to regulate the number of judges.
Question: What is the mandatory retirement age for a sitting judge of the Supreme Court of India?
Answer: A Supreme Court judge holds office until they attain the age of 65 years