We have audited the accompanying standalone financialstatements of GTL Infrastructure Limited (“the Company”)which comprise the Balance Sheet as at March 31,2025, theStatement of Profit and Loss (including Other ComprehensiveIncome), the Statement of Changes in Equity, and the Statementof Cash Flows for the year then ended, along with a summary ofsignificant accounting policies and other explanatory information(hereinafter referred to as “Financial Statements”).
In our opinion and to the best of our information and according tothe explanations given to us, the aforesaid financial statementsgive the information required by the Companies Act, 2013(“the Act”) in the manner so required and give a true and fair viewin conformity with the Indian Accounting Standards as notified bythe Ministry of Corporate Affairs (“MCA”) under section 133 ofthe Act read with the Companies (Indian Accounting Standards)Rules, 2015, as amended from time to time (“Ind AS”), and otheraccounting principles generally accepted in India, of the state ofaffairs of the Company as at March 31, 2025, and it's loss, it'stotal comprehensive income, it's changes in equity, and it's cashflows for the year then ended.
Basis for Opinion
We conducted our audit of the standalone financial statementsin accordance with the Standards on Auditing (“SAs”) specifiedunder section 143 (10) of the Act. Our responsibilities underthose Standards are further described in the Auditor'sResponsibility for the Audit of the standalone FinancialStatements section of our report. We are independent of theCompany in accordance with the Code of Ethics issued by theInstitute of Chartered Accountants of India (“ICAI”) together withthe ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of thestandalone financial statements under the provisions of the Actand the Rules made thereunder, and we have fulfilled our otherethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirementsand the ICAI's Code of Ethics. We believe that the audit evidence
obtained by us is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basisfor our audit opinion on the standalone financial statements.
Material Uncertainty Related to Going Concern
We draw attention to the Note no. 57 to the Statement, regardingpreparation of financial results on going concern basis,notwithstanding the fact that the Company continued to incurcash losses, its net worth has been fully eroded, has defaultedin repayment of principal and interest to its lenders, certainlenders including Edelweiss Asset Reconstruction Company(EARC) have called back the loans; one of the secured lenderhad applied before the NCLT Mumbai Bench under Insolvencyand Bankruptcy Code, 2016 for initiation of Corporate InsolvencyResolution Process (CIRP), which was dismissed by NCLT vide itsorder dated November 18, 2022, against which the said securedlender had filed an appeal before the National Company LawAppellate Tribunal, (“NCLAT”), which was remanded back by theNCLAT to the adjudicating authority to hear the original petitionafresh, which is subjudice, the Company has filed its reply andnow matter is posted for further hearing. Aircel, an erstwhilemajor customer of the Company has filed Insolvency petitionbefore NCLT and various other events resulting into substantialreduction in the tenancy, pending debt restructuring, provisionsfor impairment for property, plant and equipment, legal mattersin relation to Property Tax, dismantling of various telecom sitesby disgruntled landowners / miscreants resulting in loss ofassets (refer note no. 58 to the Statement); these conditionsalong with other matters set forth in notes to the financialresults indicate that a material uncertainty exists that may castsignificant doubt on the Company's ability to continue as a goingconcern. The appropriateness of the assumption of the goingconcern is critically dependent upon the Company's ability togenerate sufficient cash flows in future to meet its obligation.
Our opinion is not modified in respect of this matter.
Key Audit Matters (KAM)
Key audit matters are those matters that, in our professionaljudgment, were of most significance in our audit of theStandalone Financial Statements for the year ended March31,2025. These matters were addressed in the context of ouraudit of the Standalone Financial Statements as a whole, and informing our opinion thereon, and we do not provide a separateopinion on these matters.
Key Audit Matter
How Our Audit Addressed the key audit matter.
1. Property, Plant & Equipment
Impairment.
Annually Management reviews whether there are any indicatorsof impairment of the PPE of the Company by reference to therequirements under Indian Accounting Standards (Ind AS) 36 -“Impairment of Assets”. Accordingly, Management has identifiedimpairment indicators (operating losses, significant erosion ofnet-worth, dismantling of towers etc.) in the Company. As aresult, an impairment assessment was required to be performed
Our audit procedures included, among others:
- Updating our understanding of management's annualimpairment testing process.
- Assessing internal controls designed for identification ofimpairment indicators.
- Ensuring that the methodology of the impairment
by the Company by comparing the carrying value of the PPE totheir recoverable amount to determine whether impairment wasrequired to be recognised.
For the purpose of the above impairment testing, value in use hasbeen determined by forecasting and discounting future cash flows.These conclusions are dependent upon significant managementjudgments, including in respect of:
- Estimated utilization, incremental tenancy (growth rate),frequency of assets replacement expenditure to be incurred,disposal values and discount rates applied to future cash flows.During the year ended March 31, 2025 the managementassessed carrying values of PPE , an impairment provision of' NIL, and losses on account of dismantling of PPE of ' 242Lakhs have been recognised and reduced the aggregatecarrying value of PPE to ' 2,37,178 Lakhs, to their estimatedrecoverable value, which is the value in use (Refer Note no. 3(a),35 and 58 to the Financial Statements).
We considered this matter as key audit matter due to thesignificance of the carrying value of the assets being assessedand due to the level of management judgments required in theassumptions impacting the impairment assessment and thesensitivity of the impairment model.
exercise continues to comply with the requirements ofInd AS as adopted, including evaluating management'sassessment of indicators of impairment against indicatorsof impairment specified within Ind AS 36.
- Assessing the assumptions around the key drivers of thecash flow forecasts including incremental tenancy growth,discount rates, estimated one time settlement with disputedoperators, monetization of non-operating assets etc.
- Discussing / evaluating potential changes in key driversas compared to previous year / actual performance withmanagement in order to evaluate whether the inputs andassumptions used in the cash flow forecasts were suitable.
- Testing the arithmetical accuracy of the impairment modelprepared by the management.
- Verifying the completeness of disclosure in the financialstatements as per Ind AS 36.
2. Litigation Matters and Contingent Liabilities
The Company is subject to number of significant litigations.Major risks identified by the Company in that area related toService Tax/GST, Property Tax, Stamp Duty matters, Labour Lawmatters, Legal cases initiated by various rental site ownersand by a FCCB holders, Appeal filed by a lender with NationalCompany Law Apellate Tribunal (NCLAT) against dismissal orderpassed by NCLT was remanded back to adjudicating authority,which is subjudice, arbitration with the vendors / serviceproviders, etc. The amount of litigation may be significant andestimates of the amounts of provisions or contingent liabilitiesare subject to significant Management judgment. (Refer NoteNo. 36, 38 (A), 39, & 40 to the Financial Statements)
Due to complexity involved in these litigation matters,management's judgment regarding recognition andmeasurement of provisions for these legal proceedings isinherently uncertain and might change over time as theoutcomes of the legal cases are determined. Accordingly, it hasbeen considered as a key matter.
- Assessing the procedures implemented by the Companyto identify and gather the risks it is exposed to.
- Obtaining an understanding of the risk analysis performedby the Company, with relating supporting documentation,and reading written statements from internal legal experts,where applicable.
- Discussion with the management on the development inthese litigations during the year ended March 31,2025.
- Enquiring from the company's legal counsel (internal) andstudy the responses as received from them.
- Verification that the accounting and / or disclosure asthe case may be in the financial statements made by theCompany is in accordance with the assessment of legalcounsel / management.
- Obtaining representation letter from the management onthe assessment of these matters as per SA 580 (revised)- Written representations.
3. Revenue Recognition
Managing revenue recognition for the Company's extensivemobile tower network across India's 22 Telecom Circles isintricate. The primary revenue sources are InfrastructureProvisioning Fees (IPF) and Energy (EB) & OtherReimbursements Billing. IPF encompasses fees charged forproviding tower infrastructure to telecom operators, whileEB pertains to billing for energy usage associated with thetowers.
Test of Controls:
- Evaluation of Internal Controls: Assess the design andimplementation of internal controls related to revenuerecognition, including those over customer contracts review,authorization of revenue transactions and segregation of duties.
- Testing Operating Effectiveness: Select a sample oftransactions and test the operating effectiveness of controls,
These revenue streams are essential components of theCompany's financial model, but their accurate recognitionposes challenges due to the diverse agreements in place.Each agreement, whether for Ground Based Towers, RoofTop Towers, or Roof Top Poles, contains unique terms andconditions, necessitating tailored billing processes.
Billing of Energy & Other Reimbursements at actuals andconsequent reconciliations with customers, highlight thecomplexity of revenue recognition. These reconciliations arecritical for ensuring financial accuracy and compliance withregulatory requirements.
Therefore, meticulous attention to detail is indispensablethroughout the revenue recognition process. Preciserecording of IPF and EB, aligned with internal policies andexternal regulations, is paramount for maintaining financialintegrity and stakeholder trust in the Company's operations.
such as verifying that revenue recognition is in compliancewith company policies and accounting standards.
Test of Details:
- Analytical Procedures: Compare current and prior periodrevenue figures to identify significant variances, investigatingthem further for potential misstatements.
- Substantive Scrutiny of Agreements :
Selected continuing and new contracts and performed thefollowing procedures
Read, analyzed and identified the distinct performanceobligations, if any, in these contracts.
Compared these performance obligations with that identifiedand recorded by the Company.
Considered the terms of the contracts to determine basisof recognizing the revenue 'at a point' or 'over the period',the transaction price including any variable consideration toverify the transaction price used to compute revenue and totest the basis of estimation of the variable consideration.Verified whether the revenue has been recognised only post thefulfilment of the performance obligations and related conditions.
- Substantive Testing of Revenue Transactions: Select a sampleof revenue transactions to verify accuracy and completeness,tracing them back to underlying contracts or agreements.
- Confirmation of Revenue with Customers: Confirmrevenue amounts with customers, particularly for significanttransactions, to validate recorded revenue.
- Testing Revenue Cut-off: Review revenue transactionsaround year-end to ensure proper timing, verifyingcompliance with revenue recognition principles.
- Evaluation of Revenue Estimates and Judgments:Scrutinize management's revenue estimates and judgments,
- Reconciliation of Revenue to Documentation: Reconcilerecorded revenue amounts to supporting documentation,ensuring consistency and accuracy.
4. Going Concern
Assessing the Company's ability to continue its operations asa going concern represents a critical aspect of our audit. Thisevaluation is paramount in light of the Company's financialposition, current economic conditions, and other relevantfactors that may impact its ability to meet its obligations andsustain operations in the foreseeable future. Our scrutiny of thegoing concern assumption aims to provide stakeholders withassurance regarding the Company's viability and resilienceamidst potential challenges and uncertainties.
Audit Procedures for Going Concern Assessment:
- Reviewing NCLT Order: Examining NCLT order, whichunequivocally affirm the Company's status as a going concern.
- Reviewing NCLAT Order: Examining NCLAT order, whichremanded back to adjudicating authority to hear theoriginal petition afresh.
- Discussion with Those Charged with Governance(TCWG): Engaging in substantive discussions with TCWGto delve into considerations surrounding the Company'sgoing concern status.
- Examination of Management’s Note: Thoroughly scrutinizingthe management's note, inclusive of a comprehensivepresentation addressing material uncertainties surroundingthe Company's going concern and efforts for One TimeSettlement (OTS) /restructuring of liabilities of lenders
- Review of Company’s Statement: Assessing theCompany's official statement affirming its commitmentto ongoing operations and asset preservation, with nointention to cease operations or initiate asset liquidation.
- Management Representation Letters (MRL) Obtained:
Acquiring Management Representation Letter tocorroborate management's assertions and commitmentsregarding the Company's going concern status.
- Analysis of Industry Landscape, Debt Recovery andDebtor Days: Conducting an in-depth evaluation of theindustry context, actual recovery from significant debtors.
- Review of Customer Dispute and Credit Notes: The
investigation into the dispute with customers has beendiligently conducted, particularly regarding its potential impacton both customer retention and revenue generation, which arepivotal for the Company's ongoing viability. Furthermore, creditnotes, representing revenue reversals, have been assessed inthe context of evaluating the Company's going concern status.
- Strategic Focus on EBITDA Optimization and RevenueEnhancement: To evaluate Company's going concern, wehave reviewed its EBITDA, the anticipation of additionaltenancies on telecom towers and assess management'sefforts to boost revenue.
- Company’s Forecasted Reduction in Tenant Exits andRevenue Growth Projections: The Company has forecasteda stable movement tenancies in future years, attributed to theresolution of disputes with old customers and the anticipatednew agreements. This projection forms a key basis for ourassessment of the Company's going concern assumption,reflecting its anticipated revenue growth trajectory.
Other Matter
The confirmations of loans, bank balances, and receivablesare received in the majority of the cases. Where the amountsstated by the parties did not match with the balances of booksof accounts, reconciliations were made and the effects, ifnecessary, are properly dealt with in the books of accounts.
Information Other than the Standalone Financial Statementsand Auditor’s Report Thereon
The Company's Board of Directors is responsible for the otherinformation. The other information comprises the managementdiscussion & analysis and director's report included in theannual report but does not include the Standalone FinancialStatements and our auditor's report thereon. The aboveinformation is expected to be made available to us after thedate of this auditor's report.
Our opinion on the Standalone Financial Statements does notcover the other information and we do not express any form ofassurance conclusion thereon.
In connection with our audit of the Standalone FinancialStatements, our responsibility is to read the other informationidentified above when it becomes available and, in doing
so, consider whether the other information is materiallyinconsistent with the Standalone Financial Statements or ourknowledge obtained in the audit or otherwise appears to bematerially misstated.
When we read the above other information, if we concludethat there is material misstatement therein, we are requiredto communicate the matter to those charged with governance
Responsibility of management and those charged with thegovernance for the standalone financial statements
The Company's Board of Directors is responsible for thematters stated in Section 134(5) of the Act, with respect tothe preparation of these Financial Statements that give a trueand fair view of the Financial Position, Financial Performanceincluding Other Comprehensive Income, Cash Flows and theStatement Of Changes in Equity of the Company in accordancewith the Ind AS and other accounting principles generallyaccepted in India.
This responsibility also includes maintenance of adequateaccounting records in accordance with the provision of the Actfor safeguarding the assets of the Company and for preventingand detecting frauds and other irregularities; selection and
application of the appropriate accounting policies; makingjudgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;and design, implementation and maintenance of adequateinternal financial controls, that were operating effectively forensuring the accuracy and completeness of the accountingrecords, relevant to the preparation and fair presentation of thefinancial statements that give a true and fair view and are freefrom material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.
In preparing the financial statements, management isresponsible for assessing the Company's ability to continue asa going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related togoing concern and using the going concern basis of accountingunless management either intends to liquidate the Company orto cease operations, or has no realistic alternative but to do so.
The Board of Directors are also responsible for overseeing theCompany's financial reporting process.
Auditor’s Responsibilities for the Audit of the standaloneFinancial Statements
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whetherthe standalone financial statements as a whole are free frommaterial misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and toissue an auditor's report that includes our opinion. Reasonableassurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guaranteethat an audit conducted in accordance with SAs will alwaysdetect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatementscan arise from fraud or error and are considered material if,individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably beexpected to influence the economic decisions of users taken onthe basis of these financial statements.
As part of an audit in accordance with SAs, we exerciseprofessional judgment and maintain professional scepticismthroughout the audit. We also:
• Identify and assess the risks of material misstatement ofthe standalone financial statements, whether due to fraudor error, design and perform audit procedures responsiveto those risks, and obtain audit evidence that is sufficientand appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion. Therisk of not detecting a material misstatement resultingfrom 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 control relevant tothe audit in order to design audit procedures that areappropriate in the circumstances. Under section 143(3)(i) of the Act, we are also responsible for expressing ouropinion on whether the Company has adequate internalfinancial controls system in place and the operatingeffectiveness of such controls.
• Evaluate the appropriateness of accounting policies usedand the reasonableness of accounting estimates andrelated disclosures made by management.
• Conclude on the appropriateness of management's use ofthe going concern basis of accounting and, based on the
audit evidence obtained, whether a material uncertaintyexists related to events or conditions that may castsignificant doubt on the Company's ability to continue as agoing concern. If we conclude that a material uncertaintyexists, we are required to draw attention in our auditor'sreport to the related disclosures in the financial statementsor, if such disclosures are inadequate, to modify ouropinion. Our conclusions are based on the audit evidenceobtained up to the date of our auditor's report. However,future events or conditions may cause the Company tocease to continue as a going concern.
• Evaluate the overall presentation, structure and contentof the financial statements, including the disclosures, andwhether the financial statements represent the underlyingtransactions and events in a manner that achieves fairpresentation.
We communicate with those charged with governance regarding,among other matters, the planned scope and timing of theaudit and significant audit findings, including any significantdeficiencies in internal control that we identify during our audit.
We also provide those charged with governance with a statementthat we have complied with relevant ethical requirements regardingindependence, and to communicate with them all relationshipsand other matters that may reasonably be thought to bear on ourindependence, and where applicable, related safeguards.
From the matters communicated with those charged withgovernance, we determine those matters that were of mostsignificance in the audit of the financial statements of thecurrent year and are therefore the key audit matters. Wedescribe these matters in our auditor's report unless law orregulation precludes public disclosure about the matter orwhen, in extremely rare circumstances, we determine thata matter should not be communicated in our report becausethe adverse consequences of doing so would reasonablybe expected to outweigh the public interest benefits of suchcommunication.
Report on Other Legal and Regulatory Requirements
1. As required by the Companies (Auditor's Report) Order,2020 (“the Order”), issued by the Central Governmentof India in terms of sub-section (11) of section 143 ofthe Act, we give in the “Annexure A” a statement on thematters specified in paragraphs 3 and 4 of the Order.
2. As required by Section 143(3) of the Act, we report that:
a) We have sought and obtained all the information andexplanations which to the best of our knowledge andbelief were necessary for the purposes of our audit;
b) In our opinion, proper books of account as requiredby law have been kept by the Company so far asappears from our examination of those books;
c) The Balance Sheet, Statement of Profit and Lossincluding Other Comprehensive Income, the CashFlow Statement and Statement of Changes in Equity
dealt with by this report are in agreement with thebooks of account;
d) I n our opinion, the aforesaid financial statementscomply with the accounting standards specifiedunder section 133 of the Act;
e) On the basis of written representations receivedfrom the directors as on March 31, 2025 takenon record by the Board of Directors, none of thedirectors is disqualified as on March 31,2025, frombeing appointed as a director in terms of section164(2) of the Act;
f) With respect to the adequacy of the internal financialcontrols of the Company with reference to thesefinancial statements and the operating effectivenessof such controls, refer to our separate Report in“Annexure B”.
g) With respect to the other matters to be includedin the Auditor's Report in accordance with therequirements of section 197(16) of the Act, asamended: In our opinion and to the best of ourinformation and according to the explanations givento us, the managerial remuneration paid/ payableby the Company to whole-time directors are inaccordance with the provisions of section 197 of theAct.
h) Based on our examination, the Company has usedaccounting software to maintain its books of account,which includes a feature for recording an audit trail(edit log) throughout the year. The audit trail facilityhas been operational for all relevant transactionsrecorded in the software. During the course of ouraudit, we did not encounter any instances where theaudit trail feature had been tampered with.
i) With respect to the other matters to be includedin the Auditor's Report in accordance with Rules11 of the Companies (Audit and Auditors) Rules,2014, as amended, in our opinion and to thebest of our information and according to theexplanations given to us and as represented bythe management:
i. The Company has disclosed the impact ofpending litigations on its financial position inits financial statements in Note No. 36, 38 (A),39 and 40 to the Financial Statements.
ii. The Company has made provisions, asrequired under the applicable laws and Ind AS,for material foreseeable losses on long-termcontracts; the Company does not have anyderivative contracts.
iii. There were no amounts which were requiredto be transferred to the Investor Education andProtection Fund by the Company.
iv. (a) Management has represented to us
that, to the best of its knowledge and
belief, as disclosed in the notes to thefinancial statements, during the year nofunds have been advanced or loaned orinvested (either from borrowed funds orshare premium or any other sources orkind of funds) by the Company to or inany other persons or entities, includingforeign entities (“Intermediaries”), withthe understanding, whether recorded inwriting or otherwise, that the Intermediaryshall, whether, directly or indirectly lendor invest in other persons or entitiesidentified in any manner whatsoever byor on behalf of the Company (“UltimateBeneficiaries”) or provide any guarantee,security or the like on behalf of theUltimate Beneficiaries;
(b) Management has represented to us that,to the best of its knowledge and belief,as disclosed in the notes to the financialstatements, during the year no fundshave been received by the Company fromany person(s) or entity(ies), includingforeign entities (“Funding Parties”), withthe understanding, whether recorded inwriting or otherwise, that the Companyshall, whether, directly or indirectly, lendor invest in other persons or entitiesidentified in any manner whatsoever byor on behalf of the Funding Party(“Ultimate Beneficiaries”) or provide anyguarantee, security or the like on behalfof the Ultimate Beneficiaries
(c) Based on our audit procedure conductedthat are considered reasonable andappropriate in the circumstances, nothinghas come to our attention that cause usto believe that the representation givenby the management under paragraph(2)(i)(iv) (a) & (b) contain any materialmisstatement.
v. The Company has not declared or paid anydividend during the year and has also notproposed dividend for the year.
For CVK & Associates
Chartered AccountantsFirm Regd.No.101745W
Shriniwas Y. Joshi
(Partner)
Place : Mumbai Membership No. 032523
Dated : May 8, 2025 UDIN: 25032523BMIHXH7275