I was surprised to find out that a couple of months ago, the Supreme Court of India declared that walking on safe and demarcated footpaths was a fundamental right guaranteed by the Constitution. This was framed as a landmark judgment with far-reaching implications for the disabled, inclusive mobility, and urban planning, which also meant it was quickly forgotten while we were all distracted by a film called Toxic.

My surprise stemmed from the fact that the Court had decided to get involved in the first place. As someone who was born in Bombay a long time ago, I had often assumed that our honourable lawyers and judges knew little about what roads in India were really like. My belief was that they travelled solely by helicopter and walked on manicured grounds alone, insulated from the indignities that common citizens must face while stepping out for groceries. Luckily, it seemed as if someone had insisted on bringing this to their attention by filing a case of negligence. Like most things that happen in India, it took a tragedy for someone to pay attention and insist on justice. It is the only explanation I have for why it took this long for some form of common sense to prevail.