Why India’s footpath problem is now a fundamental rights issue

The

Supreme Court

has declared that the right to walk on a demarcated footpath is a fundamental right, placing the pedestrian at the centre of a road system long designed around vehicles.
The June 19 judgement arose from the death of a five-year-old boy who was hit by a tanker while walking to school with his father. But the court used that tragedy to ask a larger question: if roads are public spaces, can the law continue to protect vehicles more clearly than it protects people who walk?