Sir Syed Sultan Ahmed, KCSI (1880–1963,

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, Tej Bahadur Sapru and

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. He was related to Sir Ali Imam and Syed Hasan Imam, who were also from Bihar. He was the first Indian vice-chancellor of

Patna University Patna University is a public state university in Patna, Bihar, India. It was established on 1 October 1917 during the British Raj. It is the first university in Bihar and the seventh oldest university in the Indian subcontinent in the modern e ...

(1923–30). As a delegate from British India, he attended the Round Table Conference (1930–31) in London, which was also attended by Mahatma Gandhi. He was elected a member of the Bihar Legislative Council in 1937, but resigned on the grounds that he was too busy and could not find time for politics. He joined the Viceroy’s Executive Council (1941–43) and was made the Member for Information and Broadcasting. Later he was also Advisor to the Chamber of Princes (1945–47) in India. In the

1945 New Year Honours The 1945 New Year Honours were appointments by many of the Commonwealth realms of King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced on 1 January 1945 for the Britis ...

, he was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India (KCSI). He supported M. C. Davar in his

opposition to the partition of India Opposition to the partition of India was widespread in British Raj, British India in the 20th century and it continues to remain a talking point in South Asian politics. Those who opposed it often adhered to the doctrine of composite nationalism ...

, joining the United Party of India which aimed at bridging the gap between the

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and the All India Muslim League. Jinnah offered him a cabinet position in Pakistan, but he declined, saying that he could not leave India as it contained the graves of his forefathers. He had previously also refused the

Nizam of Hyderabad Nizam of Hyderabad was the title of the ruler of Hyderabad State ( part of the Indian state of Telangana, and the Kalyana-Karnataka region of Karnataka). ''Nizam'' is a shortened form of (; ), and was the title bestowed upon Asaf Jah I wh ...

's offer of being his prime minister as his father, who himself was a lawyer, reminded him of the bad experiences of his relative Sir Ali Imam in that role. After Indian Independence, he focused on his law practice. In 1950 he became the president of the All India Shia Conference. His grandson, Syed Tanvirul Hasan’s book ‘Freedom and Partition and Seasons Changed’ records the ‘Life and Times of Sir Sultan Ahmed’. However, prior to Tanvirul Hassan's book, which was published in 2007, a very comprehensive biography in Urdu with all important details and other references of related history was published by Ataullah Palvi in the June 1963, just three months after Sir Sultan's death, issue of the monthly "Nusrat", Lahore, Pakistan. It was a 50-page write-up titled as "Dr. Sir Syed Sultan Ahmad". Ataullah Palvi was a Sunni Muslim, but he and his family were great admirers of Sir Sultan Ahmad. Ataullah belonged to the same village of Pali, Bihar, which was also of Sir Sultan Ahmad. Sir Sultan edited the most popular book on Muslim Law "Mohammedan Law" for many years.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ahmed, Syed Sultan 1880 births 1963 deaths Indian knights Knights Commander of the Order of the Star of India Bihari politicians Indian barristers Indian Shia Muslims Politicians from Patna Academic staff of Patna University 20th-century Indian lawyers Patna University alumni Members of the Council of the Governor General of India Lawyers from British India