Asaithambi Manickam wants a Bengaluru court to overturn his termination, arguing it violates natural justice and due process.
Asaithambi Manickam, former managing director of L&W Construction Private Limited (L&W), has filed a suit in the city and civil sessions court in Bengaluru seeking to overturn his termination, arguing it violated natural justice and due process.
He also wants the court to declare any consequential steps taken following the termination null and void, and to affirm his legal right to continue discharging his duties as a director.
The suit names L&W, directors Teoh Hang Boon and Eugene Yong, and its Singapore-based holding company, Lee Kim Tah–Woh Hup Pte Ltd, as respondents.
It is scheduled to come up for hearing on Sept 21, when the court will consider Asaithambi’s application for interim orders to block his termination from taking effect and to restrain interference with his management and directorship roles at L&W.
Asaithambi has longstanding ties to Woh Hup.
An engineer by training, he joined Woh Hup in 2004, before being seconded to the Lee Kim Tah–Woh Hup joint venture. He was transferred to L&W four years later.
As managing director, he oversaw L&W’s portfolio of construction projects, including major developments carried out for Singapore-linked institutional developers such as CapitaLand and Mapletree.
Asaithambi’s dismissal follows years of tension between the two joint venture partners over how allegations against him were handled.
In a related lawsuit filed in the Bengaluru commercial court, Lee Kim Tah accused Woh Hup chairman Kim Yong and his brother Eugene of breaching their fiduciary duties to L&W by failing to act promptly against Asaithambi despite allegedly serious findings uncovered by an independent audit.
In the suit, Lee Kim Tah alleged that the report, prepared by KPMG India, had highlighted the use of fictitious invoices, improper payments, the entry of contracts with connected parties, and misuse of company funds and resources.
Lee Kim Tah also alleged that, despite recommendations for Asaithambi’s termination and the commencement of recovery action against him, he remained employed by L&W until June this year, having been placed on paid leave since January 2025.
The suit accused the Yong brothers of stalling action against Asaithambi and of selectively disclosing or concealing material information and advice concerning the allegations.
Last month, a judge returned Lee Kim Tah’s plaint against the Yong brothers without addressing its merits, ruling that the commercial court was not the appropriate forum for the dispute. The decision is on appeal to the Karnataka High Court.
In his suit, Asaithambi has denied all allegations levelled against him. He contends that his termination was unlawful and procedurally defective.
He also says he was not provided with the audit and other underlying reports, and links the action taken against him to “ongoing disputes between the shareholders in Singapore”. - FMT
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