The Supreme Court of India has 34 judges, including the Chief Justice of India. That total is the court’s sanctioned strength: one Chief Justice plus up to 33 other judges.
India’s Supreme Court began operating in 1950 with a much smaller authorized bench of eight judges. Parliament expanded the court repeatedly as the country’s population, litigation, and constitutional workload grew. The sanctioned strength rose to 11 in 1956, 14 in 1960, 18 in 1978, 26 in 1986, 31 in 2009, and 34 in 2019.
Unlike the U.S. Supreme Court, India’s full judicial strength does not normally sit together. Most cases are heard by benches of two or three judges, while benches of five or more hear constitutional questions or resolve conflicting decisions.
The number can be confused with the number of judges physically serving at a particular moment, because vacancies may occur. The quiz’s 34 refers to the authorized composition, not necessarily the number of occupied seats on every date.