India's Supreme Court Declares Right to Walk on Footpaths a Fundamental Right Amid Rising Pedestrian Deaths

India's Supreme Court has declared the right to walk on demarcated footpaths a fundamental right, a landmark decision hailed by road safety experts. The ruling aims to address the alarming rise in pedestrian fatalities across the country, which reached 36,526 in 2024 alone.

Experts emphasize that the judgment's effectiveness hinges on the creation of appropriate statutory frameworks at local, state, and national levels. Geetam Tiwari of the Transportation Research and Injury Prevention (TRIP) Centre and professor at IIT Delhi noted that the ruling provides an opportunity to mandate the adoption of Indian Road Congress (IRC) standards for pedestrians.

According to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways’ 2024 data, pedestrians constitute the second most vulnerable group of road users, accounting for 20.6% of all road crash deaths. This figure represents a stark increase from 12,330 deaths in 2014, highlighting a severe deterioration in road safety for those on foot. The risk is particularly high in India's million-plus population cities, where pedestrians account for 25.2% of accident fatalities.

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The effectiveness of this important judgement lies in framing appropriate statutory framework at local, state and national level. This also gives an opportunity to make adoption of Indian Road Congress (IRC) standards for pedestrians mandatory.

The Supreme Court's order came in response to a case involving the death of a child pedestrian but evolved into a broader examination of walkers' rights and public authorities' duties. The court issued detailed directions for improving pedestrian safety, including mandatory compliance with IRC standards and framing rules for pedestrian-friendly road design by October 2025.

However, road safety researchers caution that without clear responsibilities allocated to authorities and robust monitoring of compliance, the ruling might remain symbolic. Initiatives like Bengaluru's Namma Raste and national programs like Streets4People have shown that people-centric street design is feasible, but progress has often been hindered by a car-centric approach.

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Last year’s judgment has had almost no effect. No one is responsible for monitoring compliance of timelines. Unless there is a statutory framework and responsibilities allocated to authorities, this will remain on paper only.