One year and two months after Rama (name changed) learned that his mother was raped and that videos of her assault had been watched by people he knew, the conviction of his mother’s attacker Prajwal Revanna neither feels like a victory nor is it the end of the stigma they face. He does, however, feel some measure of peace that Prajwal Revanna has been convicted of raping his mother.

Former prime minister HD Deve Gowda’s son Prajwal Revanna is accused of sexually assaulting five women, including Rama’s mother Mridula (name changed). The allegations came to light a week ahead of the Parliamentary elections last April.

The state government formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by BK Singh. Survivors’ testimonies are crucial in cases of sexual assault, but the SIT was faced with the challenging task of compiling additional evidence to connect the faceless attacker in the videos to Prajwal Revanna.

Mridula’s case went to trial in May this year before the Special Court for elected representatives in Bengaluru. The trial concluded on July 18, but the court reserved its verdict for July 30, and sought more documents before pronouncing the verdict on Friday, August 1. It convicted Prajwal Revanna for rape and recording the videos of the alleged assault.