Governor reinstates suspended MDU registrar, cancels EC meeting

Rohtak: Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU), Rohtak, on Wednesday, witnessed an unusual and serious administrative standoff this week following a dispute over an executive council (EC) meeting. This led to the suspension of the university registrar and a senior professor by the vice-chancellor, and their subsequent reinstatement after intervention by the governor's office.The controversy began on Feb 17 when vice-chancellor Prof Rajbir Singh suspended registrar Dr Krishan Kant and Prof Naseeb Singh Gill of the department of computer science and applications. The action followed opposition to an EC meeting scheduled for Feb 18, which was convened to discuss faculty recruitment and appointments.The matter drew wider attention as Prof Rajbir Singh's term as VC is set to end on February 20. University sources said efforts were being made to finalise recruitment decisions before the end of his tenure. The EC meeting was to be chaired by the VC, but was later cancelled on the directions of the governor's office.Registrar Dr Krishan Kant earlier issued a letter saying no university officer would attend the EC meeting, citing objections raised by the state higher education dept. As the situation escalated, the governor's office issued two separate orders on Wednesday — 1 directing that the EC meeting be cancelled and another ordering the reinstatement of the registrar.The developments led to visible unrest on campus, with professors and university employees staging a sit-in outside the VC's office, opposing both the EC meeting and the suspension orders.Professor Preeti Gulia alleged that she faced mental harassment by the VC over the past 1-and-a-half years, adding that the situation caused distress to her family. She claimed that the VC was protecting a person close to him against complaints raised by research scholars and that relevant facts were being withheld.Former non-teaching staff association president Anil Malhotra alleged that Prof Rajbir Singh, who served as VC for six years, troubled faculty members, staff and students, and that allegations of corruption surfaced during his tenure. He said the registrar attempted to prevent irregularities after the govt directed that the EC meeting not be held, following which he was suspended.After receiving instructions from the governor's office, the university issued a message confirming that the 304th EC meeting would not take place. The message maintained that the meeting was proposed in accordance with university rules and was to be held in the VC's chamber, but was cancelled following the directive.Earlier, the higher education department stated that the 302nd EC meeting, which was postponed through a letter dated January 14, 2026, was nevertheless held in violation of govt orders. The department said decisions taken in that meeting, particularly those related to appointments, would not be approved and directed that the February 18 meeting be stopped, stating that the final decision rests with the govt.