The former Supreme Court judge has said that he will continue to appeal for a pardon for the actor and another accused in the case.

Even after actor Sanjay Dutt said he would not appeal against the Supreme Court's verdict sentencing him to a jail term for illegal possession of weapons, Chairman of the Press Council of India Markandey Katju said he would continue to appeal for a pardon for the actor.

Speaking to CNN-IBN, Katju said,"He has said he will not seek a pardon but others can apply for pardon for him."

"Pardon can be granted on thousands of grounds...Some people have been opposing the grant of pardon but I say they are acting like Shylocks who want a pound of flesh," he said

The former Supreme Court judge said that both the actor and another accused in the case, Zaibunissa Kazi, deserved a pardon in the case on humanitarian grounds and said that Dutt had suffered enough.

"So far as I am concerned I will continue with my endeavour beacause I think the man should be pardoned," the former judge said.

Justice Katju has already written a letter to the Maharashtra governor and other senior officials seeking a pardon for the actor, who has been convicted by the Supreme Court for illegal possession of arms that were brought to the country by others accused of carrying out the 1993 serial blasts in Mumbai.

In the letter written earlier, Katju had pointed out that Dutt had been acquitted of the charges of being involved in terrorism. He also pointed out that the actor had revived Gandhi's philosophy

The actor today made an emotional statement before the media, where he said that he would not seek a pardon and would surrender before a court at the time stated by the court.

"I will not seek a pardon," an emotional Dutt told reporters, while accompanied by his sister Congress MP Priya Dutt.

There have been reports that the Governor of Maharashtra is set to consult the state government on the possibility of granting the actor a pardon following multiple representations seeking a pardon for Dutt.