Tharoor welcomes SC's decision to refer 'vexed' Sabarimala issue to larger bench

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Thursday welcomed the Supreme Court's decision to refer the "vexed" Sabarimala issue to a larger bench.

Taking to Twitter, Tharoor said, "I welcome the Supreme Court's decision to refer the vexed Sabarimala issue to a larger bench. The issues involved have implications for the practice of all faiths."

The Congress leader's response comes after the apex court referred to a larger constitution bench a batch of review petitions against its September 2018 verdict allowing entry of women of all age groups into the Sabarimala temple.While Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman and Justice DY Chandrachud dissented, Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justice AM Khanwilkar, Justice Indu Malhotra sent the Sabarimala review to a larger Bench by a 3-2 ruling."The entry of women into places of worship is not limited to this temple only. It is also involved in the entry of women into mosques," Gogoi said while reading out the verdict.A Constitution Bench led by Gogoi had passed the order on a series of petitions seeking reconsideration of its September 2018 judgment that lifted the bar on menstruating women from worshipping in the Sabarimala temple in Kerala.