Mysuru: Dr. D.B. Natesh, former Commissioner of Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA), appeared before the Lokayukta this morning for an inquiry related to the MUDA 50:50 site allotment scam. He attended the session armed with all relevant documents.

The case centres on the allocation of 14 prime sites in Vijayanagar 3rd and 4th Stages to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s wife, B.M. Parvathi, in exchange for her 3.16-acre land at Survey No. 464 of Kesare. These allocations occurred during Natesh’s tenure as the MUDA Commissioner.

Last week, Lokayukta Police received clearance from the Karnataka Chief Secretary to investigate Natesh and summon him for questioning. With the State’s approval, Lokayukta SP T.J. Udesh issued a notice to Natesh to appear at Lokayukta Office on Dewan’s Road in city.

Natesh, arriving at 11 am, attempted to avoid media attention by parking his private car on a different road and taking an auto-rickshaw to the office.

However, upon encountering a swarm of media personnel at the Lokayukta Office, Natesh lashed out at reporters, visibly irritated by their questioning and video recordings. “Am I dancing here? Do you have common sense?” he retorted angrily.

In a recent media interview, Natesh defended his actions, asserting there was no irregularity in the allocation of sites to Parvathi. He claimed he had persuaded her to accept the sites to avoid potential legal repercussions for MUDA.

The Lokayukta Police are set to expand their inquiry by questioning MUDA Secretaries and Engineers who signed off on the controversial site allotment, sources said.

Meanwhile, the High Court is scheduled to hear a petition on Nov. 26 seeking the transfer of the MUDA scam investigation to the CBI. Filed by RTI activist Snehamayi Krishna, the petition expressed doubts over the impartiality of the Lokayukta investigation, as Lokayukta is not independent and comes directly under the State Government.

Responding to the High Court’s directive, the Lokayu-kta must submit an interim report on the inquiry by Nov. 25. This has intensified the pace of the investigation, with the final report required to be filed with the Special Court for People’s Representatives in Bengaluru by Dec. 24.