Natarajan served as the 23rd DG of Coast Guard. He assumed office on July 1, 2019, and was superannuated on December 31, 2021. The First Information Report (FIR) mentions that the then Inspector General Rakesh Pal made a representation dated June 7, 2021, to the office of the Defence Secretary, raising the issue of “alleged deliberate reduction in numerical assessment of his ACRs/dossiers to deprive him of his next possible promotion” to the rank of Additional Director-General (ADG) in a Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) meeting in 2019.

Pal was promoted to the rank of ADG in February 2022 and given additional charge of DG in February 2023, before being confirmed as the 25th DG of Coast Guard in July 2023. At the age of 59, he passed away in Chennai on August 18, 2024.