India, Aug. 4 -- The conviction and sentencing of Prajwal Revanna, a former Member of Parliament (MP) and the scion of a powerful political family in Karnataka, is significant for multiple reasons. First, the life sentence in the first of the four rape and sexual harassment cases against Prajwal Revanna, whose grandfather was a former PM, the father a former senior minister in Karnataka, and an uncle multiple times the CM of Karnataka, will, hopefully, send out a strong and reassuring message to the powerful and influential in society that no one is above the law, and that the law will catch up with the guilty at some point in time. Prajwal Revanna, 34, has been convicted of raping a maid employed at his family residence multiple times, recording the act, and then blackmailing her with the videos. His immediate family, including his mother, has been accused of kidnapping the woman who chose to call out the young politician's crimes. The woman deposed before police under enormous pressure, including alleged threats to life, and courageously stuck to her deposition in court. Second, the probe and trial were completed in just over a year after the woman filed her complaint. Sure, the matter was heard by a special sessions court set up to hear complaints against former and present legislators, as mandated by the Supreme Court. Time-bound probe and a speedy trial - proceedings were held uninterrupted, unlikely in most proceedings that get endlessly delayed due to frequent interruptions and postponements - can help avoid problems such as probe documents disappearing and witnesses turning hostile, especially when the accused are wealthy and powerful individuals, and offer closure to victims. Three, delayed and prolonged trials increase the cost of justice, and the process becomes a punishment for the complainants, especially when the latter come from the underprivileged sections of society, as in the Prajwal Revanna case. We regularly witness cases collapse in courts, including in sensational terror cases, when investigators fail to secure crucial documents and records, and witnesses refuse to back their previous testimonies, as trials crawl for years. The forensics and other evidence gathered against Prajwal Revanna will be contested in higher courts. But a beginning has been made, which will assure the complainants in other cases too - trials are still to begin in two other rape cases - that they can trust the process and the system. That is no small victory for the rule of law - and the law-abiding citizen....