The Delhi High Court on Wednesday rejected a lawyer's plea, in the form of a letter, seeking directions against the Centre for alleged lapses during the state funeral of Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw.

The Supreme Court lawyer, P L Suneja, in the letter addressed to the Chief Justice of High Court, alleged that the manner in which Manekshaw's funeral was held was 'shameful'.

He pleaded that his one-page letter should be converted to a PIL for passing direction to the government so that such incidents are not repeated in future.

A bench comprising Chief Justice A P Shah and Justice S Muralidhar, however, dismissed the plea after Additional Solicitor General P P Malhotra informed the court that the allegation was not correct.

Malhotra cited newspaper reports while saying that the government goofed up in the funeral by not keeping the National Flag at half-mast as a mark of respect towards the Field Marshall.

"He was given a state funeral at his home town at the initiative of the government and there is no provision which says that half-masting of the Flag is automatic," Malhotra said.