Footpaths | Claiming the right to walk

Imagine having to invoke the Constitution to claim the right to walk. This is where India finds itself today. In a landmark judgment on June 19, the Supreme Court held that the right to walk on safe, demarcated footpaths flows from Articles 19 and 21 of the Constitution, which constitute the fundamental right to freedom. The court also declared that pedestrian rights are ‘primary’ and must take precedence over motorised traffic.