Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Thursday welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision to refer the “vexed” Sabarimala issue to a larger bench, and said issues involved have implications for the practice of all faiths.

The Supreme Court said a seven-judge bench will re-examine various religious issues, including the entry of women into the Sabarimala temple and mosques and the practice of female genital mutilation in the Dawoodi Bohra community.

“I welcome the SC’s decision to refer the vexed Sabarimala issue to a larger bench The issues involved have implications for the practice of all faiths,” said Tharoor, who is an MP from Thiruvananthapuram.

While the five-judge bench unanimously agreed to refer the religious issues to a larger bench, it gave a 3:2 split decision on petitions seeking a review of the apex court’s September 2018 decision allowing women of all ages to enter the Sabarimala shrine in Kerala.