The Supreme Court (SC) has ordered the Rajasthan government to shutter 68 mines operating within a 1-kilometre periphery of the critical tiger habitat (CTH) of the Sariska reserve.

• The order was passed on May 15. It is the latest of many attempts by the apex court since the 1990s to halt the mining of marble, dolomite, and limestone in Sariska in violation of laws.

• Both the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and Environment Protection Act, 1986 prohibit quarrying in and around a tiger reserve.

Sariska Tiger Reserve is a tiger reserve in Alwar district, Rajasthan, India.

• Sariska became a tiger reserve in 1978. Sariska represents a tiger habitat spread over the world’s oldest mountain range- the Aravallis. It is a resilient ecosystem with a high prey density, and has the unique distinction of successfully reintroducing the tiger after its local extinction.