Sir Shah Muhammad Sulaiman received Maths Atripos (1909) from University of Cambridge, UK and LLD (1911) from University of Dublin, Ireland. He was Chief Justice, Allahabad High Court (1932) and also Justice, Federal Court of India (1937-41).

Academic and Research Achievements: Sulaiman was a versatile man, distinguishing himself in law, science and education at the same time. His great zest, perseverance and dedication to mathematical physics is well known. A staunch critic of Einstein’s theory of relativity, Sulaiman propounded an alternative theory, essentially classical (Newtonian) in spirit, which was characterized by Shapley as one of the highlights of astronomy during 1934. Sulaiman totally rejected the wave-particle duality. In order to prove his theory, he made some assumptions. His other major contribution was the explanation of the variation in red-shifts observed across the solar disc. His conclusion was confirmed by an expedition under T Royds, Director of Kodaikanal Observatory.

Other Contributions: Sir Sulaiman was Member of the British Association for the Advancement of Science and Calcuta Mathematical Society (sometime Vice President).

Award and Honours: Sulaiman was Knighted in 1929; and was President of the National Academy of Sciences (India), Allahabad (1938-40); also Honorary Vice-Chancellor, Aligarh Muslim University (1929-31, 1938-41).