According to Article 243 (ZJ) of Indian Constitution the maximum number of directors of a cooperative society can be

The correct answer is A) 21. Article 243ZJ, inserted by the 97th Constitutional Amendment (2011) in Part IXB, caps the board of a cooperative society at 21 directors. The board size is set in the bye-laws, but it cannot exceed this ceiling.

• A) 21: This is the ceiling fixed by Article 243ZJ.
• B) 15, C) 11, D) 7: These are below the ceiling, so they can be valid bye-law sizes. The question asks for the maximum, so none of them is the answer.

The core concept is the distinction between a maximum set by the Constitution and the actual size fixed by a society's bye-laws. For Mains, the amendment is useful in discussing cooperative federalism and the state versus Union role in cooperatives.

Note that in July 2021 the Supreme Court (Union of India v. Rajendra Shah) struck down Part IXB as it applied to state cooperatives, because it had not been ratified by half the states. Part IXB still applies to multi-state cooperative societies, and state cooperative laws now govern the rest, so the 21 cap is a fact of the exam-year text rather than a current rule for every state cooperative.

Trap: aspirants often pick 15 or 11 because these numbers appear in state Acts or in typical board sizes, and they forget that the question asks for the constitutional maximum.