NationalMonday, 29 June 2026·The Hindu - National
Supreme Court on footpaths: pedestrian right to safe access and duty of urban bodies
The Supreme Court held that access to demarcated footpaths is a primary entitlement under the Right to Life and Freedom of Movement.
Key highlights
Direct fact
In June 2026, a Supreme Court Division Bench of Justices P.S. Narasimha and Atul S. Chandurkar held that the right to walk on demarcated footpaths is a primary entitlement under the Constitution, and that urban authorities must provide and protect pedestrian infrastructure wherever roads exist.
Key specifics
- The Court linked footpath access to the Right to Life and the Right to Freedom of Movement.
- Justices P.S. Narasimha and Atul S. Chandurkar formed the Division Bench in this ruling.
- The judgment said urban development authorities, municipal corporations, municipalities and panchayats have a duty to demarcate, construct, maintain and safeguard footpaths.
- The case arose from Kochi, where footpaths were reported as illegally occupied, damaged or blocked by unauthorised parking.
- The Kerala High Court had also stopped the proposed construction of 20 kiosks in Kochi’s Queen’s Walkway.
Exam lens
Polity and governance question: match the right with the ruling, identify the duty of local bodies, and remember that pedestrian access was treated as part of Article-based fundamental rights in June 2026.