NEW DELHI, Aug 23 (TIWN): Nobody in their right mind wants to go to jail. Unless you are a VIP prisoner and the prison administration is willing to bend the rules for you, life can be tough. Adjusting to an Indian style toilet and living without an air conditioner — these thoughts are enough for most elite, well-to-do people to shudder at the idea of entering a prison.

There is no dearth of people in India who’d like to resist injustice but are afraid of spending a night in jail. Hence, they choose silence. It would be unfair to blame them. After all, no one should have their freedom curtailed unless they have committed a crime that deserves punishment to give the victims a sense of justice, and preserve social order.

If your crime is theft or murder, and you are given a chance to avoid jail by offering an apology, you will likely tender the apology. But when it is a thought crime — when your mere opinion is liable for jail — an apology can have damaging repercussions for society and democracy. If Prashant Bhushan had apologised — or if he does so in the ongoing saga — it will be hugely demoralising for the struggle for democracy in India.