Key facts
- Supreme Court issued an order affirming citizens' right to walk on footpaths
- India has seen a surge in pedestrian deaths on roads
- Encroachment by vehicles and vendors renders most footpaths unusable
- Ruling frames safe pedestrian access as part of the right to life
The Supreme Court has issued an order asserting the right of citizens to walk on footpaths, a significant judicial intervention that comes as India grapples with a surge in pedestrian deaths on its roads. The ruling underscores the apex court's growing concern over urban infrastructure failures that endanger the lives of the country's most vulnerable road users.
The Indian Express, reporting on the context behind the order, highlights that pedestrian fatalities have been climbing sharply, driven by the systematic encroachment of footpaths by parked vehicles, street vendors, and unauthorised construction. In many Indian cities, footpaths either do not exist or are rendered unusable, pushing walkers onto busy carriageways where they face deadly traffic.
The Supreme Court's order places the onus on civic authorities and state governments to ensure that footpaths are cleared, maintained, and kept accessible. It frames the right to walk safely as a fundamental aspect of the right to life, giving it constitutional heft and opening the door to contempt proceedings against officials who fail to comply.
Urban planning experts and road safety advocates have long flagged pedestrian infrastructure as the most neglected element of Indian cities' transport systems. The court's intervention is expected to put fresh pressure on municipalities across the country to act — though implementation, as with many Supreme Court directives on civic matters, remains the critical test.