When Sir A C Doyle slipped into the shoes of Sherlock Holmes, his world-famous creation, by investigating the George Edalji case

Posted: 14-Sep-2026

When George Edalji (1876–1953), the eldest son of Reverend Shapurji and Mrs. Charlotte Edalji (the former a Parsi of Indian origin, and the latter an Englishwoman, who had settled in Staffordshire, central England) faced unfair accusations of mutilating domestic animals, he approached Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes’s creator) for help. The latter agreed to investigate the case and campaigned on Edalji’s behalf, leading finally to an admission by the British authorities that it was a “miscarriage of justice". The George Edalji case (1903-1907) became famous not only because of Doyle’s association with it but also because, from it, the public became aware that the British legal system (till then perceived as just) had been crushing an innocent man. Doyle’s intervention was critical in saving Edalji from more unfair punishment. Nearly a century and a quarter later, similar miscarriages continue to occur, as in the recent case of Alan Bates vs the British Post Office (roughly 2000-2024), signifying that the British legal system has not yet cleansed itself from the evils exposed by the Edalji case. Consequently, it continues to be under watch by concerned citizens, legal experts, historians, reformers, and the like. This book is a grand compendium of some important books and dramatizations on the George Edalji case. It includes Conan Doyle und der Fall Edalji (German film, 1966), The Edwardians (television series, 1972), Conan Doyle Investigates (radio play, 1972), Conan Doyle and the Edalji Case (radio play, 1987), Conan Doyle's Strangest Case (radio play, 1995), and Arthur & George by Julian Barnes, which appeared as a novel (2005), stage play (2010), and television miniseries (2014). You can form your own opinion of the case by reading it. Go to the review now?