We have audited the accompanying financial statements of Lotus Chocolate Company Limited (the “Company”), which comprise theBalance Sheet as at 31st March 2025, and the Statement of Profit and Loss (including Other Comprehensive Income), The Statementof Cash flows and the Statement of Changes in Equity for the year ended on that date, and notes to the financial statements, includinga summary of material accounting policies and other explanatory information.
In our opinion and to the best of our information and according to the explanations given to us, the aforesaid financial statements givethe information required by the Companies Act, 2013 (the “Act”) in the manner so required and give a true and fair view in conformitywith the Indian Accounting Standards prescribed under section 133 of the Act, (“Ind AS”) and other accounting principles generallyaccepted in India, of the state of affairs of the Company as at 31st March 2025, and its profit, total comprehensive income, its cashflows and the changes in equity for the year ended on that date.
We conducted our audit of the financial statements in accordance with the Standards on Auditing (“SA”s) specified under section143(10) of the Act. Our responsibilities under those Standards are further described in the Auditor s Responsibility for the Audit of theFinancial Statements section of our report. We are independent of the Company in accordance with the Code of Ethics issued by theInstitute of Chartered Accountants of India (“ICAI”) together with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financialstatements under the provisions of the Act and the Rules made thereunder, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities inaccordance with these requirements and the ICAI’s Code of Ethics. We believe that the audit evidence obtained by us is sufficientand appropriate to provide a basis for our audit opinion on the financial statements.
Key audit matters are those matters that, in our professional judgment, were of most significance in our audit of the financial statementsof the current year. These matters were addressed in the context of our audit of the financial statements as a whole, and in formingour opinion thereon, and we do not provide a separate opinion on these matters. We have determined the matter described below tobe the key audit matter to be communicated in our report.
Sr.
No.
Key Audit Matter
Auditor’s Response
1
Revenue Recognition
Revenue is recognised when control of the goods istransferred to the customers. Control is transferredupon shipment of goods to the customers providedthat the Company has not retained any significantrisks of ownership or future obligations with respectto the goods shipped. For revenue transactions close tobalance sheet date, it is essential to verify whether thetransfer of control of the goods by the Company to thecustomer has occurred before the balance sheet date orotherwise.We have considered revenue recognition as akey audit matter as there is a risk of revenue not beingrecorded in the correct accounting period on account ofthe ability to establish with certainty the point of timewhen control has been transferred.
Refer note 2.2 (2) for the accounting policy on revenuerecognition.
Our audit procedures included the following:
• Obtained understanding of the process followed by the managementfor recording revenue.
• Assessed the appropriateness of the relevant accounting policy.
• Evaluated the design and implementation of internal controls overrecognition of revenue in the appropriate period in accordance withthe Company’s accounting policy.
• On a test-check basis, tested the operating effectiveness of theinternal control relating to determination of point in time at whichthe transfer of control of the goods occurs.
• On a test-check basis, performed test of details of sales recordedclose to the balance sheet date, which included the following:
> Analysed the terms and conditions of the underlying contractwith the customer.
> Verified evidence for transfer of control of the goods prior tothe balance sheet date or otherwise from relevant supportingdocuments.
• Assessed the relevant disclosures made in the Ind AS financialstatements.
• The Company’s Board of Directors is responsible for the other information. The other information comprises the informationincluded in the Directors’ report but does not include the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon.
• Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and we do not express any form of assuranceconclusion thereon.
• In connection with our audit of the financial statements, our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so,consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements, or our knowledge obtained duringthe course of our audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated.
• If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we arerequired to report that fact. We have nothing to report in this regard.
Responsibilities of Management and Board of Directors for the Financial Statements
The Company’s Board of Directors is responsible for the matters stated in section 134(5) of the Act with respect to the preparation ofthese financial statements that give a true and fair view of the financial position, financial performance including other comprehensiveincome, cash flows and changes in equity of the Company in accordance with the accounting principles generally accepted in India,including Ind AS specified under section 133 of the Act. This responsibility also includes maintenance of adequate accounting recordsin accordance with the provisions of the Act for safeguarding the assets of the Company and for preventing and detecting frauds andother irregularities; selection and application of appropriate accounting policies; making judgments and estimates that are reasonableand prudent; and design, implementation and maintenance of adequate internal financial controls, that were operating effectivelyfor ensuring the accuracy and completeness of the accounting records, relevant to the preparation and presentation of the financialstatements that give a true and fair view and are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.
In preparing the financial statements, management and Board of Directors are responsible for assessing the Company’s ability tocontinue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accountingunless the Board of Directors either intend to liquidate the Company or to cease operations, or has no realistic alternative but to do so.
The Company’s Board of Directors is also responsible for overseeing the Company’s financial reporting process.
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from materialmisstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a highlevel of assurance but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with SAs will always detect a material misstatementwhen it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, theycould reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.
As part of an audit in accordance with SAs, we exercise professional judgment and maintain professional skepticism throughout theaudit. We also:
• Identify and assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to fraud or error, design and performaudit procedures responsive to those risks, and obtain audit evidence that is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for ouropinion. The risk of not detecting a material misstatement resulting from fraud is higher than for one resulting from error, asfraud may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of internal control.
• Obtain an understanding of internal financial controls relevant to the audit in order to design audit procedures that are appropriatein the circumstances. Under section 143(3)(i) of the Act, we are also responsible for expressing our opinion on whether theCompany has adequate internal financial controls with reference to financial statements in place and the operating effectivenessof such controls.
• Evaluate the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of accounting estimates and related disclosuresmade by the management.
• Conclude on the appropriateness of management’s use of the going concern basis of accounting and, based on the audit evidenceobtained, whether a material uncertainty exists related to events or conditions that may cast significant doubt on the Company’s
ability to continue as a going concern. If we conclude that a material uncertainty exists, we are required to draw attention inour auditor’s report to the related disclosures in the financial statements or, if such disclosures are inadequate, to modify ouropinion. Our conclusions are based on the audit evidence obtained up to the date of our auditor’s report. However, future eventsor conditions may cause the Company to cease to continue as a going concern.
• Evaluate the overall presentation, structure and content of the financial statements, including the disclosures, and whether thefinancial statements represent the underlying transactions and events in a manner that achieves fair presentation.
Materiality is the magnitude of misstatements in the financial statements that, individually or in aggregate, makes it probable thatthe economic decisions of a reasonably knowledgeable user of the financial statements may be influenced. We consider quantitativemateriality and qualitative factors in (i) planning the scope of our audit work and in evaluating the results of our work; and (ii) toevaluate the effect of any identified misstatements in the financial statements.
We communicate with those charged with governance regarding, among other matters, the planned scope and timing of the auditand significant audit findings, including any significant deficiencies in internal financial controls that we identify during our audit.
We also provide those charged with governance with a statement that we have complied with relevant ethical requirements regardingindependence, and to communicate with them all relationships and other matters that may reasonably be thought to bear on ourindependence, and where applicable, related safeguards.
From the matters communicated with those charged with governance, we determine those matters that were of most significancein the audit of the financial statements of the current year and are therefore the key audit matters. We describe these matters in ourauditor’s report unless law or regulation precludes public disclosure about the matter or when, in extremely rare circumstances, wedetermine that a matter should not be communicated in our report because the adverse consequences of doing so would reasonablybe expected to outweigh the public interest benefits of such communication.
1. As required by Section 143(3) of the Act, based on our audit we report, that:
a) We have sought and obtained all the information and explanations which to the best of our knowledge and belief werenecessary for the purposes of our audit.
b) In our opinion, proper books of account as required by law have been kept by the Company so far as it appears from ourexamination of those books.
c) The Balance Sheet, the Statement of Profit and Loss including Other Comprehensive Income, the Cash Flow Statementand Statement of Changes in Equity dealt with by this Report are in agreement with the relevant books of account.
d) In our opinion, the aforesaid financial statements comply with the Ind AS specified under Section 133 of the Act.
e) On the basis of the written representations received from the directors as on 31st March 2025 taken on record by the Boardof Directors, none of the directors is disqualified as on 31st March 2025 from being appointed as a director in terms ofSection 164(2) of the Act.
f) With respect to the adequacy of the internal financial controls with reference to financial statements of the Company and theoperating effectiveness of such controls, refer to our separate Report in “Annexure A”. Our report expresses an unmodifiedopinion on the adequacy and operating effectiveness of the Company’s internal financial controls with reference to financialstatements.
g) With respect to the other matters to be included in the Auditor’s Report in accordance with the requirements of section197(16) of the Act, as amended, in our opinion and to the best of our information and according to the explanations givento us, no remuneration is paid by the Company to its directors during the year.
h) With respect to the other matters to be included in the Auditor’s Report in accordance with Rule 11 of the Companies (Auditand Auditors) Rules, 2014, as amended in our opinion and to the best of our information and according to the explanationsgiven to us:
i. The Company has disclosed the impact of pending litigations on its financial position in its financial statements - Refer
Note 28 to the financial statements.
ii. The Company did not have any long-term contracts including derivative contracts for which there were any materialforeseeable losses.
iii. There were no amounts which were required to be transferred to the Investor Education and Protection Fund by theCompany.
iv. (a) The Management has represented that, to the best of its knowledge and belief, no funds have been advanced
or loaned or invested (either from borrowed funds or share premium or any other sources or kind of funds)by the Company to or in any other person(s) or entity(ies), including foreign entities (“Intermediaries”), withthe understanding, whether recorded in writing or otherwise, that the Intermediary shall, directly or indirectlylend or invest in other persons or entities identified in any manner whatsoever by or on behalf of the Company(“Ultimate Beneficiaries”) or provide any guarantee, security or the like on behalf of the Ultimate Beneficiaries.
(b) The Management has represented, that, to the best of its knowledge and belief, no funds have been receivedby the Company from any person(s) or entity(ies), including foreign entities (“Funding Parties”), with theunderstanding, whether recorded in writing or otherwise, that the Company shall, directly or indirectly, lendor invest in other persons or entities identified in any manner whatsoever by or on behalf of the Funding Party(“Ultimate Beneficiaries”) or provide any guarantee, security or the like on behalf of the Ultimate Beneficiaries.
(c) Based on the audit procedures performed that have been considered reasonable and appropriate in thecircumstances, nothing has come to our notice that has caused us to believe that the representations undersub-clause (i) and (ii) of Rule 11(e), as provided under (a) and (b) above, contain any material misstatement.
v. The Company has not declared or paid any dividend during the year and has not proposed final dividend for the year.
vi. Based on our examination, which included test checks, the Company has used accounting software systems formaintaining its books of account for the financial year ended 31st March 2025 which have the feature of recordingaudit trail (edit log) facility and the same has operated throughout the year for all relevant transactions recorded inthe software systems. Further, during the course of our audit we did not come across any instance of the audit trailfeature being tampered with, and the audit trail has been preserved by the Company as per the statutory requirementsfor record retention.
2. As required by the Companies (Auditor’s Report) Order, 2020 (“the Order”) issued by the Central Government in terms ofSection 143(11) of the Act, we give in “Annexure B” a statement on the matters specified in paragraphs 3 and 4 of the Order.
Chartered Accountants(Firm’s Registration No. 117366W/W-100018)
Partner
Place: Mumbai (Membership No. 103999)
Date: 21st April 2025 UDIN: 25103999BMLENF9837