Ranchi: As a mark of respect for the CRPF personnel who lost their lives in the Pulwama terrorist attack, the Indian cricketers Friday sported special Army caps during the third ODI against Australia and donated their match fee to the National Defence Fund.

Captain Virat Kohli came out for the toss wearing the camouflage military cap, which had the BCCI's logo on it. However, a top official of the Board made it clear that it was a one off gesture and rejected media reports that this could become an annual practice.

"The circumstances in this case are extraordinary, we don't have plans to make it an annual affair," the official said.

Kohli urged everyone to contribute towards the National Defence Fund so that the money could be used for the welfare of the families of the slain CRPF Personnel.

"This is a special cap, it's a tribute to the Armed forces. We're all donating our match fees of this game to the National Defence Fund. I urge everyone in the country to do the same, donate and stick to the families of our armed forces," Kohli said.

It is learnt that the idea for this tribute was floated by former skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who holds the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Territorial Army.

Dhoni handed the caps to his teammates and the Indian cricket board put out a video of it on micro-blogging site Twitter.

A playing XI member gets Rs 8 lakh as match fees per game in ODIs and the reserve players get half that amount.

At least 40 CRPF personnel were killed in the Pulwama attack, for which Pakistan-based terrorist outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed had claimed responsibility.

Earlier, the BCCI had decided to donate the entire budget of the IPL opening ceremony for the benefit of the families of those killed in the terrorist attack.

There will be no IPL opening ceremony this year.

Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.



New Delhi, Oct 24: Justice Sanjiv Khanna was on Thursday appointed the 51st Chief Justice of India.

He will take oath on November 11, a day after incumbent Justice D Y Chandrachud demits office on attaining the age of 65.

Justice Chandrachud took over as the CJI on November 8, 2022.

Justice Khanna will have a tenure of a little over six months as CJI and would demit office on May 13, 2025.

"In exercise of the power conferred by the Constitution of India, Hon'ble President, after consultation with Hon'ble Chief Justice of India, is pleased to appoint Shri Justice Sanjiv Khanna, Judge of the Supreme Court of India as Chief Justice of India with effect from 11th November, 2024," Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal posted on X.

Justice Khanna was appointed an additional judge of the Delhi High Court in 2005 and was made a permanent judge in 2006. On January 18, 2019, he was elevated as a judge of the Supreme Court.

Born on May 14, 1960, he studied law at the Campus Law Centre of Delhi University.

Some of the notable judgments of Justice Khanna in the Supreme Court include upholding the use of electronic voting machines in elections, saying the devices were secure and eliminated booth capturing and bogus voting.

He was also part of the five-judge bench that declared the electoral bond scheme, meant for funding of political parties, as unconstitutional.

Justice Khanna was a part of the five-judge bench, which upheld the Centre's 2019 decision abrogating Article 370 of the Constitution which granted a special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.

Justice Khanna, who is the senior-most judge after the outgoing CJI, and the executive chairman of the National Legal Service Authority (NALSA), had granted interim bail to the then Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, an accused in the alleged Delhi excise policy scam cases, for campaigning in Lok Sabha elections.

He is the nephew of former apex court judge H R Khanna, who was part of the landmark verdict propounding the basic structure doctrine in Kesavananda Bharati case of 1973.

The retirement age of Supreme Court judges is 65 years, while high court judges demit office at the age of 62 years.

The Centre recently asked CJI Chandrachud to name his successor.

According to the memorandum of procedure (MoP) -- a set of documents guiding appointment, elevation and transfer of high court and Supreme Court judges -- the law minister writes to the CJI to name his or her successor.

Law Minister Meghwal had written to CJI Chandrachud asking him to name his successor.

The MoP says the senior-most judge of the apex court is considered fit to hold the office of the CJI and the views of the outgoing head of the judiciary have to be sought "at an appropriate time".

The MoP, however, does not specify the time limit for the initiation of the process of recommending the name of the successor CJI.