Rohtak, Feb. 18 -- A standoff has emerged between the Haryana government and Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU) vice-chancellor Rajbir Singh over the issuance of appointment letters to 11 faculty members without prior government approval. In a February 17 communication, the additional chief secretary of the higher education department directed the vice-chancellor and registrar to postpone the upcoming 304th Executive Council (EC) meeting scheduled for February 18. The government alleged that the 302nd EC meeting was held despite instructions to reschedule it and that appointment letters were issued in violation of explicit directions. According to the letter, the university had been instructed on January 14 not to issue appointment orders or allow joining without prior government consent until a decision was taken. It also stated that the minutes of the 302nd meeting had not been approved, and no action should be taken on its agenda items. The controversy centres on the appointment of four professors and seven associate professors. A senior EC member, requesting anonymity, said the February 18 meeting was called to confirm the minutes of the earlier meeting in which the appointments were approved. The professor added that the vice-chancellor's second term ends on February 20 and alleged that he had defied government instructions. Despite repeated attempts, MDU functionaries including director of public relations Ashish Dahiya, registrar Krishan Kant and vice-chancellor Rajbir Singh did not respond to HT phone calls and text messages regarding the government's letter to postpone the next scheduled EC meeting. HT also sent an email to MDU public relations department to seek a version but did not get any reply. MDU registrar Krishan Kant sent an email on Tuesday evening to all EC members informing them that the meeting has been postponed till further orders on directions of additional chief secretary of the higher education department....