Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar on Tuesday took suo motu notice of a picture circulating on social media that showed a funeral procession passing through sewage water.

During the hearing of a case, the CJP directed the attention of the attorney general and advocate general towards the photo.

"People are walking to offer funeral prayers and they have been left impure [due to walking through the unsanitary water]," Justice Nisar observed.

Asking which city the scene captured in the photo belonged to, the CJP directed media representatives to also look at the photo and point out the area it originated from.

"This filth is a threat to human health and cleanliness," he remarked.

"We will take the MNA, councillor and other officials of whatever area is depicted in the photo to task [over the unsanitary conditions]," Justice Nisar said.

The apex court, under its 2018 agenda, is focusing on human rights issues, particularly those relating to the people’s right to quality education and healthcare. However, this course of action is also being seen as an overstepping of boundaries, similar to the Iftikhar Chaudhry era.

The chief justice has stood by the court's actions, reiterating that such criticism will not deter him from exercising what he considers is his "constitutional right."