The Supreme Court’s recognition of the right to walk on safe, demarcated footpaths as a fundamental right is a landmark ruling on the safety of pedestrians. It is also an invitation to rethink the Indian street itself: who it is built for, who it excludes, and what kind of citizenship begins at the edge of the road.

On 19 June, the court held that the right to walk is protected under Articles 19 and 21 of the Constitution and that pedestrian movement must have priority over motorised vehicles. The judgment arose from a tragic motor accident case in which a five-year-old child was killed while being taken to school, reportedly because there was no safe pedestrian space. The court also noted that authorities have a duty to demarcate, construct, maintain and safeguard footpaths.

But if this right is interpreted only through the figure of the able-bodied pedestrian, India will miss a historic opportunity.

For persons with disabilities, older persons, neurodivergent people, caregivers, chronically ill citizens, children, pregnant people and anyone using mobility aids, the issue is not only the right to walk. It is the right to move through the city with safety, predictability, dignity and autonomy.

A wheelchair user may not ‘walk’ in the conventional sense, but they have an equal claim to the footpath. A blind person using a cane is not asking for sympathy when they need tactile paving and obstruction-free routes. A person with dyspraxia may find uneven surfaces, sudden level changes and chaotic crossings deeply unsafe. A caregiver pushing a child or supporting an older parent is negotiating a city that rarely treats care as part of mobility.

The court has opened the constitutional door. The question now is whether India can walk through it inclusively.

Also Read: SC ruling on pedestrians' rights puts spotlight on Delhi's crumbling footpaths

In most Indian cities, footpaths exist only in theory. They are frequently broken, or may have potholes, open drains, construction debris, exposed wires, uneven slabs and often suddenly........

© National Herald