Supreme Court (SC) Declares Right to Walk on Secured Footpaths a Fundamental Right

Key facts

• The Supreme Court (SC) declared the right to walk on secured footpaths a fundamental right under Part III of the Constitution, integral to Article 19(1)(d) and Article 21.
• A bench of Justices P S Narasimha and Atul S Chandurkar ruled that the right to walk on demarcated footpaths shall have priority over the movement of motorised vehicles.
• The SC identified urban development authorities, municipal corporations, municipalities, and panchayats as duty bearers responsible for constructing and maintaining pedestrian infrastructure.
• The judgment allows citizens to seek restitution and compensation for violations of this right, independent of the remedies available under the Motor Vehicles (MV) Act, 1988.
• The SC Registry was directed to forward the judgment to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD), Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), and the Law Commission to initiate a legal framework.