According to the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Act 2008, the Supreme Court of India consists of a Chief Justice of India and not more than how many other judges?

Introduction / Context:
The strength of the Supreme Court of India, meaning how many judges it can have, is fixed by law. Over time, Parliament has amended this number to handle increasing case loads. The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Act 2008 increased the number of judges. This question checks whether you know that, under that Amendment, the Supreme Court consists of the Chief Justice of India and not more than thirty other judges.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The law mentioned is the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Act 2008.
• The question asks how many other judges, in addition to the Chief Justice of India, can be appointed.
• The options offered are 40, 10, 20, and 30.
• We assume awareness that the total sanctioned strength at that time became thirty one judges including the Chief Justice.

Concept / Approach:
Before the 2008 Amendment, the Supreme Court had a smaller sanctioned strength. The 2008 law raised the number of judges to thirty inclusive of the Chief Justice or, in the later formulation, to the Chief Justice plus thirty other judges, giving a total of thirty one. Therefore, the number of other judges, apart from the Chief Justice, is thirty. The other options are either too low or too high compared to the statutory figure.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that the Amendment Act of 2008 increased the number of judges of the Supreme Court. Step 2: Remember the standard expression used: a Chief Justice of India and not more than thirty other judges. Step 3: Examine the options and locate the number thirty, which matches this formulation. Step 4: Recognise that ten or twenty are too small to match the known total strength. Step 5: Recognise that forty is larger than the number fixed by that Amendment. Step 6: Therefore, the correct answer is thirty.

Verification / Alternative check:
A quick way to verify is to remember that many sources refer to the Supreme Court as having a sanctioned strength of thirty one judges after the Amendment. If one of them is the Chief Justice, the remaining must be thirty other judges. Subtracting one from the total gives you the required figure of thirty, which matches option D.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Ten would give a total of only eleven judges, which is far below the actual sanctioned strength after the 2008 Amendment. Twenty would give a total of twenty one judges, again lower than the known strength. Forty would imply a much larger bench than that authorised by this particular Amendment Act.

Common Pitfalls:
A common mistake is to mix up the total number of judges with the number of other judges besides the Chief Justice. Another pitfall is to remember older numbers that applied before amendments. To avoid confusion, keep updated notes on the current sanctioned strength and clearly distinguish between the total number and the number of other judges besides the Chief Justice.

Final Answer:
Under the 2008 Amendment, the Supreme Court consists of the Chief Justice of India and not more than thirty other judges.