Your directors hereby present the 39th Annual Report on the business and operations of CupidBreweries and Distilleries Limited (“the Company”) (Formerly known as Cupid Trades andFinance Limited) together with the Audited statements of Accounts for the financial year endedon 31st March 2025.
Particulars
2024-25
2023-24
Revenue from Operations
57,60,995
-
Other Income
30,57,678
96,54,558
Total Revenue
88,18,673
Total Expenditure
1,38,47,866
1,05,19,921
Profit Before Depreciation, exceptional items and Tax
-49,83,463
-8,44,509
Less: Depreciation and amortization expense
45,730
20,853
Profit before exceptional items and Tax
-50,29,193
-8,65,362
Profit before tax
Less: provision for Tax
-22,680
Profit after Tax
-8,88,042
Profit for the period carried to the balance sheet
Add: Balance Brought forward from previous year
Less: Equity/preference Dividend paid for previous year
Adj: Gain on re-measurement of defined benefit plans
Balance available for disposal
Balance carried to Balance Sheet
After the Revocation of suspension from trading in the securities, the Company has been relisted onBSE Limited on December 03, 2024 and now the Company is focused on expanding its brewing anddistillery business across India and on at a global level to mark its footprint across the globe. Beloware the key highlights of the Company's operations and Management initiatives.
As part of the revival strategy, the new management has revised the main object of the Company.The primary business activity of the Company has been shifted from trading and financial servicesto the brewing industry, aligning it with the Company's renewed focus and future growth plans.
To reflect the change in business activity and ensure alignment with its core operations, the name ofthe Company has been changed from Cupid Trades & Finance Limited to Cupid Breweries andDistilleries Limited.
In alignment with the objective to revive the Company, the management had submitted acomprehensive revival plan to the Executive Committee of BSE. After a detailed review of thesubmissions made before the Forensic Auditor and BSE, BSE, vide its notice dated November 28,2024, approved the revocation of suspension in the trading of the Company’s securities with effectfrom December 03, 2024.
The Company, in its Extraordinary General Meeting held on March 04, 2025, approved theacquisition of Crochet Industries Private Limited (CIPL) for consideration other than cash, i.e.,through a swap of equity shares by acquiring up to 100% and forming a wholly owned subsidiary.However, in the Board Meeting held on April 11, 2025, the Company have acquired 97.83% stake inCIPL through a swap of equity shares, thus making it a Subsidiary of the Company.
With the acquisition of CIPL and conversion of the unsecured loan of Erramilli VenkatachalamPrasad, Rodrigues Bhagvandas Lily, and Samavedam Sri Venkata Rajeswara Rao into 10,10,591equity shares, Mr. Erramilli Venkatachalam Prasad and Dr. Lily Bhagvandas Rodrigues haveacquired more than 26% of equity shares and voting rights of the Company, triggering the openoffer.
The Company, at its Board Meeting held on February 07, 2025, approved the acquisition ofapproximately 10.72% equity stake in Martin Judds Microbreweries Private Limited (“MJMPL”)through equity investment.
This strategic acquisition of shares in MJMPL engaged in the same line of business is aimed atsupporting the Company's ongoing business expansion and growth initiatives.
In the Board Meeting held on June 18, 2025, as a part of the execution of the adopted Business Plan,the Board decided to acquire the assets of MJMPL to have its own license.
The Company has not declared any dividend during the year under review.
The Company has not transferred any amount to Reserves during the year under review.
The Company, in its Extraordinary General Meeting held on March 04, 2025, increased theauthorized share capital from Rs. 1,00,00,000 divided into 10,00,000 equity shares of face valueof Rs. 10/- each to Rs. 63,00,00,000 divided into 6,30,00,000 Equity shares of face value ofRs. 10/- each.
As on April 11, 2025, the issued, subscribed, and paid-up equity share capital of the Companywas Rs. 51,98,30,020/- (Rupees Fifty-One Crore Ninety-Eight Lacs Thirty Thousand andTwenty Only) divided into 5,19,83,002 (Five Crore Nineteen Lac Eighty-Three Thousand andTwo Only) equity shares of face value of Rs. 10/- each. During the year under review, theCompany has allotted 5,10,23,002 equity shares to Promoter and Non-Promoter on apreferential basis pursuant to conversion of unsecured loan into equity shares and swapping ofequity shares with the shareholders of Crochet Industries Private Limited.
Further, the Company has neither bought back any of its securities nor issued any sweat equityshares or bonus shares nor provided any stock options to its employees during the year under review.
During the year under review, the Company did not have any Subsidiaries, Joint Ventures, orAssociate Companies. However as on the date of signing of this Report, the Company has onematerial subsidiary, i.e., Crochet Industries Private Limited.
Further the Company had set up a wholly owned subsidiary in Uzbekistan; however due to itsnegative net worth, the Capital infusion could not be undertaken.
Form AOC-1 as required under Section 129(3) is attached as Annexure II.
During the year under review, the Company has not accepted any deposits within the meaningof Section 73 of the Companies Act, 2013 (the Act) and the Companies (Acceptance ofDeposits) Rules, 2014.
Company has made investment and paid advances which are disclosed in notes to account,forming part of the Financial Statement for the year ended March 31, 2025.
During the year under review, the Company has complied with the Secretarial Standards 1 and 2issued by the Institute of Company Secretaries of India applicable for Board Meetings and GeneralMeetings, respectively, except in a few cases where Secretarial Standard 1 has not been compliedwith.
The Company has adequate policies and procedures for the identification and monitoring ofRelated Party Transactions. All the transactions entered into with the Related Parties during theyear under review were on an arm’s length basis and were in the ordinary course of business.The Company has presented all Related Party Transactions before the Audit Committee andBoard, specifying the nature, value, and terms and conditions of the transaction.
There have been no materially significant related party transactions with the Company’sPromoters, Directors, and others as defined in Section 2(76) of the Act, which may have apotential conflict of interest with the Company at large. Disclosure in Form AOC-2 is annexedherewith as “Annexure III”. Your attention is drawn to the related party disclosure made in thenotes contained under the financial statements for the year ended March 31, 2025 of theCompany.
The Company has framed a Policy on the Materiality of Related Party Transactions and ondealing with Related Party Transactions in accordance with the SEBI (Listing Obligations &Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015 (“SEBI Listing Regulations”) and the Act asamended from time to time. The Policy intends to ensure that proper reporting, approval anddisclosure processes are in place for all transactions between the Company and the RelatedParties. The policy is available on the website of the Company at www.cupidalcobev.com.
The Board of Directors of the Company in their Board Meeting held on April 11, 2025, acquired4,40,25,010 equity shares of Crochet Industries Private Limited through share swap.
12. SIGNIFICANT ORDERS PASSED BY THE REGULATORS, COURTS, ORTRIBUNALS IMPACTING THE GOING CONCERN AND THE COMPANY’SOPERATIONS:
a. The Company had made a Compounding application before the Regional Director, WesternRegion, Mumbai, for the delay in conducting the Annual General Meeting of the Companyfor the FY 2022-23. The Regional Director, vide its final order dated February 12, 2025,imposed compounding fees of Rs. 1,00,000 on the Company and Rs. 75,000 each on Mr.Erramilli Venkatachalam Prasad, Managing Director, and Mr. Samavedam Sri VenkataRajeswara Rao, Non-Executive Director of the Company. The Company and the Directorspaid the Compounding fees within time, and the matter now stands closed.
b. In order to revive the Company, the new management presented in detailed future businessplan of the Company before the Committee of BSE. The BSE had appointed a ForensicAuditor and, after reviewing the detailed report submitted by the Forensic Auditor and all thedocuments, supporting and explanation given by the Company, the BSE vide its order datedNovember 28, 2024, revoked the suspension from trading in the securities of the Companyand the securities of the Company were relisted on BSE Limited w.e.f. December 03, 2024.
In accordance with the provisions of the Act, the following changes have taken place in thecomposition of the Directors during the year under review:
1. Mr. Erramilli Rishab was appointed as an Additional Non-Executive Director w.e.f. June28, 2024, and was regularized as a Non-Executive Director in the 38th Annual GeneralMeeting of the Company held on September 27, 2024.
2. Mr. Parag Mitra was appointed as an Additional Independent Director in the Board Meetingheld on August 09, 2024, and regularized as an Independent Director in the 38th AnnualGeneral Meeting of the Company held on September 27, 2024. Further, Mr. Parag Mitratendered his resignation as an Independent Director on February 04, 2025, due to hispersonal reasons.
3. Mr. Erramilli Venkatachalam Prasad stepped down from the position of Chief ExecutiveOfficer in the Board Meeting held on January 15, 2025; however, he continues to act as theChairman cum Managing Director of the Company.
4. Mr. Arun Kumar L tendered his resignation as an Independent Director with effect fromDecember 09, 2024, due to his personal reasons.
5. Mr. Sajid Bijnori and Mr. Ajay Gandeja were appointed as an Additional IndependentDirectors of the Company in the Board Meeting held on March 07, 2025. As shareholdersapproval could not be placed within stipulated time, their office felt vacant on June 06,2025; they were re-appointed as Additional Independent Directors in the Board Meetingheld on June 18, 2025, subject to the approval of the shareholders.
In terms of section 152 of the Act, Dr. Lily Bhagvandas Rodrigues, Director of the Company, isliable to retire by rotation at the ensuing 39th Annual General Meeting and, being eligible, offersherself for re-appointment. It is ascertained that the Directors' appointment is subject to the non¬disqualification mentioned under sections 164 and 165 of the Act. A brief profile of the Directorseeking re-appointment is given in Annexure-I of the Notice and is part of the Annual Report.
During the year under review, the non-executive directors of the Company had no pecuniaryrelationship or transactions with the Company.
The Board confirms that none of the Directors of the Company are disqualified from beingappointed as Directors in terms of section 164 of the Act, and a necessary declaration has beenobtained from all the Directors in this regard.
1. Mr. Sachin Rawat was appointed as a Company Secretary and Compliance Officer of theCompany w.e.f. August 09, 2024.
2. Mr. Subhash Kanojia tendered his resignation from the position of Chief Financial Officer(CFO) of the Company. Subsequently, Mr. Naresh Tadikonda was appointed as CFO witheffect from September 27, 2024. However, Mr. Naresh Tadikonda tendered his resignationfrom the position of CFO with effect from May 31, 2025.
The Company has received necessary declarations from each Independent Director underSection 149 (7) of the Companies Act, 2013, that they meet the criteria of independence laiddown in Section 149 (6) of the Act, along with Rules framed thereunder and Regulation 16(1)(b) ofSEBI Listing Regulations. There has been no change in the circumstances affecting their status asIndependent Directors. The Independent Directors have also confirmed that they have compliedwith the Company’s Code of Conduct.
The Board opined and confirmed, in terms of Rule 8 of the Companies (Accounts) Rules, 2014, thatthe Independent Directors are persons of repute and integrity and possess the relevant expertise and
experience (including proficiency) in their respective fields. The Independent Directors possess therequisite qualifications, experience, and expertise.
In terms of Section 150 of the Act and Rules framed thereunder, the Independent Directors havealso confirmed their registration (including renewal of applicable tenure) and compliance with theonline proficiency self-assessment test (unless exempted) with the Indian Institute of CorporateAffairs (IICA).
The Independent Directors are regularly informed during meetings of the Board and itsCommittees on the business strategy, business activities, and regulatory updates. WheneverDirectors are appointed, they are given a detailed orientation on the Company, industry, strategy,policies, Code of Conduct, regulatory matters, business, financial matters, and human resourcematters of the Company.
The Company has a familiarization program for the Independent Directors to familiarize them withthe business model of the Company, their roles, rights, and responsibilities in the Company, thenature of the industry in which the Company operates, and related matters.
The Company has a mix of Executive, Non-Executive, and Independent Directors includingWoman Director. All the members of the Board are competent and are persons of repute withstrength of character, professional eminence, and have the expertise in their respectivedisciplines to deal with the management functions of the company.
The composition of the Board of Directors as at 31st March, 2025
Sr. No.
Name ofDirector
Executive/Non—Executive/Independent
No. of
Directorships
Held in Public
Limited
Companies
(Including this
Company)
#Committee(s) position(Including theCompany)
Member
Chairperson
1
Mr. Erramilli
Venkatachalam
Prasad
Chairman
cum
Managing
Director
2
0
Dr. RodriguesBhagvandas Lily
Non¬Executive -Non¬IndependentDirector
3
Mr. S V RajeswaraRao Samavedam
Non¬ExecutiveDirector -Non¬IndependentDirector
4
Mr. ErramilliRishab
Additional
5
Mr. Arpit Shah
Non¬Executive -IndependentDirector
6
Mr. Ninad Dhuri
Non¬
Executive
Independent
7
Mr. Sajid Bijnori
8
Mr. Ajay Gandeja
# Unly the Audit Committee and the Stakeholders Relationship Committee have beenconsidered as per Regulation 26 of SEBI Listing Regulations.
During the year under review, the Board of Directors met 11 times. In case of businessexigencies or urgency of matters, resolutions were passed by circulation. The notice and agendawith notes on each agenda item for the Board Meeting were circulated as per the provisions of theAct and Articles of Association of the Company.
The gap between the two consecutive board meetings was within the prescribed period of 120 daysas specified under the provisions of Section 173 of the Act and the SEBI Listing Regulations.
Sr. No
Date of Board Meeting
Total No. of Directorsassociated as on the date ofthe meeting
No. of directorsattended
09.04.2024
14.05.2024
27.05.2024
30.05.2024
18.07.2024
09.08.2024
27.09.2024
14.11.2024
9
15.01.2025
10
07.02.2025
11
07.03.2025
The Independent Directors of the Company met on December 18, 2024, without the presence ofthe Executive Director and the Senior Management team of the Company. The meeting wasattended by all the Independent Directors, and an overall performance review was carried out.
During the year under review, the composition of the Audit Committee was reconstituted onneed-to-need basis in the Board Meetings.
Initially, the Committee comprised Mr. Arun Kumar L, Mr. Ninad Dhuri, Mr. Samavedam SriVenkata Rajeswara Rao, and Mr. Arpit Shah.
The composition was revised in the Board Meeting of the Company held on September 27,2024 and Mr. Arun Kumar L was appointed as the Chairman of the Audit Committee.
The composition was further revised through a circular resolution passed on November 13,2024, to include Mr. Parag Mitra as the Chairman of the Audit Committee in place of Mr. ArunKumar L.
On December 09, 2024 Mr. Arun Kumar L resigned from the Board of the Company andceased to be the member of Audit Committee.
Further on February 04, 2025, Mr. Parag Mitra resigned from the position of IndependentDirector of the Company and ceased to be the Chairman of the Audit Committee. Subsequently,in the Board meeting held on March 07, 2025, the Committee was reconstituted by thefollowing appointments of Mr. Ajay Gandeja as Chairman and Mr. Sajid Bijnori as a memberof the Committee.
Current Composition of Audit Committee:
Sr
No
Name of Members
Category
Ajay Gandeja
Sri Venkata Rajeswara Rao Samavedam-
Sajid Bijnori
Arpit Shah
Ninad Dhuri
During the year under review, the Audit Committee met seven times, namely on April 09, 2024,May 27, 2024, May 30, 2024, July 18, 2024, November 14, 2024, January 15, 2025, andFebruary 07, 2025.
Pursuant to section 177 of the Act and SEBI Listing Regulations, the terms of reference ofthe Audit Committee are mentioned below:
i. Oversight of the Company’s financial reporting process and the disclosure of its financialinformation to ensure that the financial statement is correct, sufficient, and credible;
ii. Recommendation for appointment, remuneration and terms of appointment of auditors of thecompany;
iii. Approval of payment to statutory auditors for any other services rendered by the statutoryauditors;
iv. Reviewing, with the management, the annual financial statements and auditor's report thereonbefore submission to the board for approval, with particular reference to:
• matters required to be included in the director’s responsibility statement to be included in theBoard’s report in terms of clause (c) of sub-section (3) of Section 134 of the Companies Act,2013;
• Changes, if any, in accounting policies and practices and reasons for the same;
• Major accounting entries involving estimates based on the exercise of judgment bymanagement;
• Significant adjustments made in the financial statements arising out of audit findings;
• Compliance with listing and other legal requirements relating to financial statements;
• Disclosure of any related party transactions;
• Modified opinion / Qualification in the draft audit report;
v. Reviewing, with the management, the quarterly financial statements before submission to theboard for approval;
vi. reviewing and monitoring the auditor’s independence, performance, and effectiveness of the auditprocess;
vii. Formulating a policy on related party transactions, which shall include the materiality ofrelated party transactions;
viii. Approval or any subsequent modification of transactions of the listed entity with related parties;
ix. Scrutiny of inter-corporate loans and investments;
x. Valuation of undertakings or assets of the company, wherever it is necessary;
xi. Evaluation of internal financial controls and risk management systems;
xii. Reviewing, with the management, performance of statutory and internal auditors, adequacy ofthe internal control systems;
xiii. Reviewing the adequacy of internal audit function, if any, including the structure of the internalaudit department, staffing and seniority of the official heading the department, reportingstructure coverage, and frequency of internal audit;
xiv. Discussion with internal auditors of any significant findings and follow up there on;
xv. Reviewing the findings of any internal investigations by the internal auditors into matters where
there is suspected fraud or irregularity or a failure of internal control systems of a material natureand reporting the matter to the board;
xvi. Discussion with statutory auditors before the audit commences, about the nature and scope ofthe audit, as well as post-audit discussion to ascertain any area of concern;
xvii. To look into the reasons for substantial defaults in the payment to the depositors, debentureholders, shareholders (in case of non-payment of declared dividends), and creditors;
xviii. To review the functioning of the whistle-blower mechanism;
xix. Approval of appointment of Chief Financial Officer (i.e., the whole time Finance Director orany other person heading the finance function or discharging that function) after assessing thequalifications, experience, and background, etc. of the candidate;
xx. Reviewing the utilization of loans and/or advances from/investment by the holding company inthe subsidiary exceeding rupees 100 crore or 10% of the asset size of the subsidiary, whicheveris lower, including existing loans/advances/investments existing as on the date of coming intoforce of this provision;
xxi. To review the compliance with the provisions of Regulation 9A of Securities and ExchangeBoard of India (Prohibition of Insider Trading) Regulations, 2015, at least once in a financialyear and to verify that the systems for internal control are adequate and are operatingeffectively;
xxii. To carry out any other function as mentioned in the terms of reference of the Audit Committee.Audit Committee shall mandatorily review the following information:
1. Management discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations;
2. Statement of significant related party transactions (as defined by the audit committee),submitted by management;
3. Management letters/letters of internal control weaknesses issued by the statutory auditors;
4. Internal audit reports relating to internal control weaknesses; and
5. The appointment, removal, and terms of remuneration of the Chief Internal Auditor shall besubject to review by the audit committee;
6. Statement of deviations:
(a) quarterly statement of deviation(s) including report of monitoring agency, if applicable,submitted to stock exchange(s) in terms of Regulation 32(1) of the Securities and ExchangeBoard of India (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015;
(b) Annual statement of funds utilized for purposes other than those stated in the offerdocument/prospectus/notice in terms of Regulation 32(7) of the Securities and Exchange Boardof India (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015.
During the year under review, the composition of the Nomination and RemunerationCommittee was reconstituted on two occasions.
Initially, the Committee comprised Mr. Ninad Dhuri, Mr. Arpit Shah, Mr. Sri VenkataRajeswara Rao Samavedam, and Mr. Arun Kumar L.
The composition of the Committee was revised through a circular resolution passed onNovember 13, 2024, to include Mr. Parag Mitra as the Chairman of the Nomination andRemuneration Committee.
On December 09, 2024 Mr. Arun Kumar L resigned from the Board of the Company andceased to be the member of Nomination and Remuneration Committee.
Further on February 04, 2025, Mr. Parag Mitra resigned from the position of IndependentDirector of the Company and ceased to be the Chairman of the Nomination and RemunerationCommittee. Subsequently, in the Board Meeting held on March 07, 2025, the Committee wasreconstituted by the following appointments of Mr. Sajid Bijnori as a Chairman and AjayGandeja as a member as a member of the Committee.
Current Comnosition of Nomination and Remuneration Committee:
During the year under review, the Nomination and Remuneration Committee met five times onApril 09, 2024, May 14, 2024, August 09, 2024, September 27, 2024, and March 07, 2025.
Pursuant to the SEBI Listing Regulations, the Company has revised the terms of reference ofthe Committee. The revised terms of reference are:
i. Formulation of the criteria for determining qualifications, positive attributes, and independenceof a director and recommend to the board of directors a policy relating to the remuneration ofthe directors, key managerial personnel, and other employees;
ii. Formulation of criteria for evaluation of performance of independent directors and the board ofdirectors;
iii. Devising a policy on the diversity of the board of directors;
iv. Identifying persons who are qualified to become directors and who may be appointed in seniormanagement in accordance with the criteria laid down and recommending to the board ofdirectors their appointment and removal;
v. Specify the manner for effective evaluation of performance of the Board, its committees, andindividual directors to be carried out either by the Board, by the Nomination and RemunerationCommittee, or by an independent external agency, and review its implementation andcompliance;
vi. Whether to extend or continue the term of appointment of the independent director, on the basisof the report of the performance evaluation of the independent directors;
vii. Recommend to the board all remuneration, in whatever form, payable to senior management;
viii. To administer and supervise Employee Stock Options Schemes (ESOS), including framing ofpolicies related to ESOS and reviewing the grant of ESOS;
ix. Carrying out any other function as mentioned in the terms of reference of the Nomination andRemuneration Committee.
The Committee is in the process of formulating Nomination and Remuneration Policy, whichdetermines criteria, inter-alia, qualification, positive attributes, and independence of Directorsfor their appointment on the Board of the Company and payment of remuneration to Directors,Key Managerial Personnel, and other Employees. The Committee shall consider the followingattributes/criteria, whilst recommending to the Board the candidature for appointment asDirector.
- Qualification, expertise, and experience of the Directors in their respective fields;
- Personal, Professional, or business standing;
- Diversity of the Board
In case of re-appointment of Non-Executive Directors, the Board shall take into considerationthe performance evaluation of the Director and their engagement level.
The ratio of the remuneration of each director to the median employee’s remuneration and otherdetails in terms of sub-section 12 of Section 197 of the Act read with Rule 5(1) of theCompanies (Appointment and Remuneration of Managerial Personnel) Rules, 2014, and thestatement containing particulars of employees as required under section 197(12) of the Act readwith Rule 5(2) of the Companies (Appointment and Remuneration of Managerial Personnel)Rules, 2014, is annexed herewith as Annexure IV.
The Board of Directors of the Company has set up the 'Stakeholders Relationship Committee' toalign it with the provisions of Section 178 of the Act. The Committee has been constituted tostrengthen the investor relations and to inter-alia, look into issues relating to shareholdersgrievances pertaining to transfer of shares, non- receipt of declared dividends, non-receipt ofAnnual Report, issues concerning de-materialization, etc.
During the year under review, the composition of the Stakeholders’ Relationship Committeewas reconstituted.
Initially, the Committee comprised of Mr. Samavedam Sri Venkata Rajeswara Rao, Mr. NinadDhuri, Mr. Arun Kumar L, and Mr. Arpit Shah.
Mr. Arun Kumar L tendered his resignation as an Independent Director w.e.f. December 09,2024 and ceased to the member of the Committee.
In the Board meeting of the Company held on March 07, 2025, the composition was revised toinclude Mr. Sajid Bijnori and to exclude Mr. Ninad Dhuri as a member of the Committee.
Purrpnt C'mnnndtinn nf StiikphnlHprs Rplntinnchin
Sri Venkata Rajeswara Rao Samavedam
During the year under review, the Stakeholders Relationship Committee met one time onFebruary 07, 2025, and all committee members were present in the meeting.
Pursuant to the provisions of Schedule IV, clause VIII of the Act, the Board has carried out anevaluation of its own performance, the directors individually, as well as the evaluation of theworking of its Audit Committee, Nomination & Remuneration Committees, and StakeholdersRelationship Committee. The performance evaluations of Independent Directors were alsocarried out, and the same was noted. Independent Directors, in their meeting, decided to bringmore transparency in their performance and bring more responsibility while taking any policydecisions for the benefit of the shareholders in general.
As per the provisions of Section 178(3) and Section 134 (3) (e) of the Act and on therecommendation of the Nomination & Remuneration Committee of the Company, the Board ofDirectors had approved a Policy which lays down a framework for the appointment andremuneration of Directors, Key Managerial Personnel, and other employees and their remuneration.The Policy broadly lays down the guiding principles, philosophy, and the basis for payment ofremuneration to Directors, Key Managerial Personnel, and other employees. The policy alsoprovides the criteria for determining qualifications, positive attributes, and Independence of theDirector, and criteria for appointment of Key Managerial Personnel/Senior Management whilemaking the selection of the candidates.
The Policy on Appointment and Remuneration of the Directors, as approved by the Board, isavailable on the website of the Company at www.cupidalcobev.com.
The Members of the Company at the 38th Annual General Meeting held on September 27,2024, approved the appointment of M/s. H Rajen & Co, Chartered Accountants (MembershipNo: 011307, Firm Registration No.108351W) as the Statutory Auditors of the Company for aperiod of five years commencing from the conclusion of the 38th AGM until the conclusion ofthe 43rd AGM to be held in 2029.
No frauds have been reported by the Statutory Auditors during the year under review pursuantto the provisions of Section 143(12) of the Act.
The Statutory Auditor of the Company have made following Observation in the FinancialStatements of the Company and Management submit response to the observation is as follows:
Some delays occurred in payment of TDS amounts, due to transition process being carried out,post re-listing on account of Open Offer, Preferential Offer (Acquisition, Loan Conversion ofPromoters & Directors). However, it shall be paid at the earliest, and the management iscommitted to strictly adhere all compliances within the stipulated time.
Pursuant to provisions of section 204 of the Act read with the Companies (Appointment andRemuneration of Managerial Personnel) Rules, 2014, the Company appointed M/s. Bhumika &Co., Company Secretaries in practice, to undertake the Secretarial Audit of the Company.
The Secretarial Audit report in the prescribed Form No MR-3 is annexed herewith asAnnexure I. Observation in secretarial audit report and explanations by the board:
Observation in Secretarial AuditReport
Explanations by the Board
1.
The Company filed certain formsbeyond the due date by payingadditional fees.
The delay was inadvertent andprimarily due to procedural andtechnical reasons. The forms havesince been duly filed with thepayment of additional fees, therebyregularising the compliances.
2.
The Notice convening the AnnualGeneral Meeting (AGM) dated 27September 2024 was not aligned withthe requirements specified under theListing Regulations.
The non-alignment was unintentionaland occurred due to an oversight indrafting. The Company has sincestrengthened its review mechanisms toensure that AGM Notices are fullycompliant with the Listing Regulationsin future.
3.
The appointment of an AdditionalDirector in the Annual General Meeting(AGM) dated 27 September 2024 wasapproved via an ordinary resolution.
The resolution was inadvertentlymentioned as an ordinary resolutioninstead of a special resolution. However,the resolution was passed with morethan 75% votes cast in favour, therebymeeting the threshold required for aspecial resolution. The Companyacknowledges the error in classificationand assures that all such matters willhenceforth be placed strictly incompliance with the applicableprovisions of law.
4.
The Audited Financial Statements forthe financial year ended March 31, 2024were not approved within 60 days fromthe end of the financial year, as requiredunder Regulation 33 of the ListingRegulations.
The delay was primarily due to thesudden resignation of the erstwhileStatutory Auditor before the approval ofthe financial statements. Consequently,the newly appointed Statutory Auditor,M/s. H. Rajen & Co., had to conduct theaudit afresh from the beginning, whichrequired additional time and was beyondthe control of the Company.Notwithstanding the delay, the financialresults were duly finalised and submittedwith the stock exchanges. The Companyhas strengthened its internal processes toensure strict adherence to the prescribedtimelines going forward.
5.
The Company had passed a resolution toset up “Cupid Breweries and DistilleriesLLC FE” at Bukhara City of Uzbekistan,on May 21, 2024, as its wholly ownedsubsidiary; however, no furthercorporate or operational actions havebeen taken.
The Company had set up a whollyowned subsidiary in Uzbekistan;however due to its negative net worth,the Capital infusion could not beundertaken therefore no furthercorporate or operational actions havebeen taken.
6.
Certain resolutions passed by the Boardcontain typographical errors, which mayimpact the clarity and interpretation ofthe resolutions.
The typographical errors were clerical innature and did not affect the substanceof the decisions taken by the Board.Necessary corrective measures havebeen initiated to avoid recurrence.
7.
Certain forms that were mandatorilyrequired to be filed under the Act werenot filed by the Company during theyear.
The non-filing was unintentional andprimarily due to oversight. TheCompany is in the process of filing thepending forms with the Registrar ofCompanies and has strengthened itscompliance monitoring systems toprevent such lapses.
8.
The financial statement of the Company for the FY 2023¬2024 was not signed by the ChiefFinancial Officer of the Company.
Though the new management hadalready taken charge of the managementat the time of approval of FinancialStatement for the FY 2023-24, the saidCFO who was associated with the earliermanagement did not extend cooperation.The financial statements were dulysigned by all other required signatoriesin compliance with the Act, and theBoard assures that such instances shallnot recur.
M/s. H. M. Shah & Co., the Internal Auditor of the Company reports to the Chairman of the AuditCommittee and to the Board. The Internal Auditor reviews and approves a risk-based annualinternal audit plan as per the scope, functioning, periodicity, and methodology for conducting theinternal audit.
During the year under review, your Company’s Registrar and Transfer Agent was SatelliteCorporate Services Private Limited.
The Company has internal financial controls as required under the Companies Act, 2013. However,the company is entering into manufacturing activities directly, in-directly (through subsidiaries,associate companies, partnerships, etc.,) broadly contract basis / outsourcing for the first timeduring reporting period. The internal control systems are strengthening in line with these scaling upfuture activities of the Company. The Board of Directors and the Audit Committee are activelyinvolved in this process of execution of the same time-to-time, as required.
As per the provisions of Section 92(3) and 134(3)(9) of the Act and the Companies (Managementand Administration) Rules, 2014, the Annual Return of the Company in Form MGT-7 for theyear under review is available on the website of the Company www.cupidalcobev.com.
In terms of provisions of Regulation 34(2) read with Para B of Schedule V of the SEBI ListingRegulations, a detailed review of the operations, performance, and outlook of the Company and itsbusiness is given in the Management Discussion and Analysis Report, which forms an integral partof this Annual Report.
In pursuance to Regulation 15 (2) of the SEBI Listing Regulations, submission of the CorporateGovernance report does not apply to the listed companies which have:
a. paid up equity share capital not exceeding rupees ten crore and net worth notexceeding rupees twenty-five crore as on the last day of the previous financial year; or
b. have listed its specified securities on the SME Exchange.
Accordingly, the paid-up capital and net worth of the Company are below the prescribed limitfor mandatory applicability of Corporate Governance, and the Company has decided not to optfor compliance with Regulation 27 (2) of SEBI Listing Regulations for the time being.
The provisions of Section 135 of the Act read with the Companies (Corporate Social ResponsibilityPolicy) Rules, 2014 do not apply to the Company and hence, your Company is not required to adoptthe Corporate Social Responsibility Policy or constitute a Corporate Social ResponsibilityCommittee during the year under review.
The Company has the policy of vigil mechanism and whistleblower policy in place, and thesame is uploaded on the website of the Company at www.cupidalcobev.com.
The details of conservation of energy, technology absorption, etc., as required to be given underSection 134(3)(m) of the Act read with Rule 8 of The Companies (Accounts) Rules, 2014, arenot applicable to the Company, since the Company has not commenced manufacturingactivities. As on the date of signing of this Report, the Company is in the process of setting upfactories.
The Company has paid an advance of Rs. 47.19 Lakhs in Foreign Currency to SteineckerGmbH, German based Company to supply technology and equipment for halal-certified non¬alcoholic beer, at the upcoming green field project at RAK, UAE.
As required under Section 134 (5) of the Act, the Directors, to the best of their knowledge andability, confirm that:
a. In the preparation of the annual accounts, the applicable accounting standards have beenfollowed along with proper explanation by way of notes to accounts relating to materialdepartures;
b. the Directors have selected such accounting policies and applied them consistently and madejudgments and estimates that were reasonable and prudent so as to give a true and fair viewof the state of affairs of the Company at the end of the financial year and of the profit or lossof the Company for that period;
c. the Directors have taken proper and sufficient care for the maintenance of adequateaccounting records in accordance with the provisions of the Companies Act, 2013, forsafeguarding the assets of the company and for preventing and detecting fraud and otherirregularities;
d. The Directors have prepared the accounts on a “going concern basis”.
e. the directors had devised proper internal financial control to ensure compliance with theprovisions of all applicable laws and that such systems were adequate and operatingeffectively.
f. The Directors have devised proper systems to ensure compliance with the provisions of allthe applicable laws and that such systems are adequate and operating effectively.
The provisions related to the formation of an internal committee for reporting instances ofsexual harassment are not applicable to the Company.
The Company has zero tolerance for sexual harassment at the workplace and has adopted apolicy against sexual harassment in line with the provisions of the Sexual Harassment ofWomen at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, and the rules framedthere under. The Company has not received any sexual harassment related complaints duringthe year under review.
36. DETAILS OF THE APPLICATION MADE OR ANY PROCEEDING PENDINGUNDER THE INSOLVENCY AND BANKRUPTCY CODE, 2016, DURING THEPERIOD, ALONG WITH THEIR STATUS AS OF THE END OF THE PERIOD
During the year under review and till the date of this Report, the Company has neither made anyapplication against anyone nor any proceedings pending against the Company under the Insolvencyand Bankruptcy Code, 2016.
37. DETAILS OF THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE AMOUNT OF THE VALUATIONDONE AT THE TIME OF ONE TIME SETTLEMENT AND THE VALUATION DONEWHILE TAKING A LOAN FROM THE BANKS OR FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS,ALONG WITH THE REASONS THEREOF
The Company has not made an application for One Time Settlement (OTS) with any bank orfinancial institution.
The Company has in place a mechanism to identify, assess, monitor, review, and mitigate variousrisks to key business objectives that may threaten the existence of the Company. The major risksidentified by the business and functions are systematically addressed through mitigating actionscontinuously.
Pursuant to the provisions of Section 148 of the Act read with the Companies (Cost Records andAudit) Rules, 2014, as amended from time to time, the Company is not required to maintain CostRecords under said Rules.
a. MD Certification under Regulation 17(8) of SEBI (LODR) Regulations, 2015
As required under Regulation 17(8) of the SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements)Regulations, 2015, the Managing Director of the Company has certified the financial statementsand other matters prescribed therein.
Since the position of Chief Financial Officer was vacant as on the date of approval of this AnnualReport, the certification has been provided by the Managing Director only. The said certification isannexed herewith as Annexure V and forms an integral part of this Report.
Your directors would like to express their sincere appreciation for the assistance and co¬operation received from the Banks, Government Authorities, Customers, and Shareholdersduring the year. Your directors also wish to take on record their deep sense of appreciation forthe committed services of the employees at all levels, which have made our Companysuccessful in the business.
Mr. Erramilli Prasad Venkatachalam Sri. Venkata Rajeswara Rao Samavedam
Chairman cum Managing Director Non-Executive Director
(DIN: 08171117) (DIN: 10347786)