We have audited the accompanying standalone financial statements of M/s.Steel Exchange India Limited ("the Company"), which comprise the Balance Sheet as at March 31, 2025, the Statement of Profit and Loss (including Other Comprehensive Income), the Statement of Changes in Equity and the Statement of Cash Flows for the year ended on that date, and a summary of significant accounting policies and other explanatory information (hereinafter referred to as "the standalone financial statements").
In our opinion and to the best of our information and according to the explanations given to us, the aforesaid standalone financial statements give the information required by the Companies Act, 2013 ("the Act") in the manner so required and give a true and fair view in conformity with the Indian Accounting Standards prescribed under section 133 of the Act read with the Companies (Indian Accounting Standards) Rules, 2015, as amended, ("Ind AS") and other accounting principles generally accepted in India, of the state of affairs of the Company as at March 31, 2025, the profit and total comprehensive income, changes in equity and its cash flows for the year ended on that date.
Basis for Opinion
We conducted our audit in accordance with the Standards on Auditing (SAs) specified under section 143(10) of the Act. Our responsibilities under those Standards are further described in the Auditor's Responsibilities for the Audit of the Standalone Financial Statements section of our report. We are independent of the Company in accordance with the Code of Ethics issued by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India together with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the standalone financial statements under the provisions of the Act and the Rules thereunder, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements and the Code of Ethics. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.
Key audit matters
Key audit matters are those matters that, in our professional judgment, were of most significance in our audit of the standalone financial statements of the current period. These matters were addressed in the context of our audit of the standalone financial statements as a whole, and in forming our opinion thereon, and we do not provide a separate opinion on these matters. We have determined the matters described below to be the key audit matters to be communicated in our report.
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S.No
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Key Audit matter
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1.
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Capitalization of Fixed Assets - ^92.09 Crores
During the year ended 31 March 2025, the Company capitalized property, plant and equipment (PPE) amounting to 92.09 crores, primarily in connection with the commissioning of a new rolling mill plant designed to produce new 8mm and 10mm steel product lines, along with significant additions to the power plant and concast (continuous casting) machinery.
The capitalization of such large-scale industrial assets requires management to exercise significant judgement in:
• Determining the correct classification between capital and revenue expenditure,
• Assessing the date of readiness for intended use (capitalization timing),
• Allocating directly attributable costs including trial runs, duties, installation, and overheads,
• Ensuring compliance with Ind AS 16 - Property, Plant and Equipment.
Due to the materiality of the amounts involved and the judgement required in applying the capitalization criteria, this has been considered a key audit matter.
Our audit procedures included, among others:
1. Understanding and evaluating internal controls over capital expenditure, procurement, and capitalization processes.
2. Obtaining a detailed schedule of capitalized assets and verifying the nature, quantum, and source documents (invoices, contracts, and GRNs) relating to the rolling mill, concast and power plant.
3. Examining the date of capitalization to assess management's determination of the asset being ready for its intended use, supported by commissioning certificates and trial run reports.
4. Verifying the basis of allocation of directly attributable costs such as project overheads, pre-operative expenses, and employee costs during the construction period.
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S.No
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Key Audit matter
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2.
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5. Reviewing compliance with Ind AS 16, especially regarding the treatment of trial run revenue/expenses and the capitalization of borrowing costs where applicable.
6. Evaluating the adequacy of disclosures in the financial statements relating to the nature and extent of capital expenditure.
Assessment of Pending Litigations
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The Company is subject to various legal and regulatory proceedings, including tax and commercial disputes, which are pending at different stages of adjudication before appropriate forums. As disclosed in Note 3.28 to the financial statements, these matters involve significant amounts, and their outcomes are subject to interpretation of complex legal issues and judicial discretion.
The determination of the status and financial impact of such matters involves significant management judgement, including:
• Assessment of the current position of the case and likelihood of outcome,
• Reliance on advice from internal and external legal advisors,
• Continuous monitoring of legal proceedings,
• Evaluation of potential financial exposure, and
• Disclosure of contingent liabilities where considered necessary.
Given the materiality and complexity of these cases, and the level of judgement involved in their assessment and disclosure, this area has been identified as a key audit matter.
Our audit procedures included, among others:
1. Obtained and reviewed a summary of pending legal matters and discussed the status and potential impact of significant cases with management and in-house legal counsel.
2. Where deemed necessary, obtained written representations from the Company.
3. Evaluated management's process of monitoring litigation, including risk classification and the appropriateness of disclosures made.
4. Reviewed the financial statement note disclosures in relation to legal matters to assess whether they are complete and adequately describe the nature and potential financial impact of these cases.
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Information Other than the Standalone Financial Statements and Auditor's Report Thereon
The Company's Board of Directors are responsible for the preparation of the other information. The other information comprises the information included in the Management Discussion and Analysis, Board's Report including Annexures to Board's Report, Business Responsibility Report, Corporate Governance and Shareholder's Information, but does not include the standalone financial statements and our auditor's report thereon.
Our opinion on the standalone financial statements does not cover the other information and we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon.
In connection with our audit of the standalone financial statements, our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the standalone financial statements or our knowledge obtained during the 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 are required to report that fact. We have nothing to report in this regard.
Management's Responsibility for the Standalone Financial Statements
The Company's Board of Directors is responsible for the matters stated in section 134(5) of the Companies Act,2013 with respect to the preparation of these standalone financial statements that give a true and fair view of the financial position, financial performance, total comprehensive income, changes in equity and cash flows of the Company in accordance with the Ind AS and other accounting principles generally accepted in India including The Indian Accounting Standard specified under sec.133 of the act. This responsibility also includes maintenance of adequate accounting records in accordance with the provisions of the Act for safeguarding the assets of the Company and for preventing and detecting frauds and other irregularities; selection and application of appropriate accounting policies; making judgments and estimates that are reasonable and prudent; and design, implementation and maintenance of adequate internal financial controls, that were operating effectively for ensuring the accuracy and completeness of the accounting records, relevant to the preparation and presentation of the standalone financial statements that give a true and fair view and are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.
In preparing the standalone financial statements, management is responsible for assessing the Company's ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless management either intends to liquidate the Company or to cease operations, or has no realistic alternative but to do so.
The Board of Directors are responsible for overseeing the Company's financial reporting process.
Auditor's Responsibilities for the Audit of the Standalone Financial Statements
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the standalone financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor's report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with SAs will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these standalone financial statements.
As part of an audit in accordance with SAs, we exercise professional judgment and maintain professional skepticism throughout the audit.
We also
• Identify and assess the risks of material misstatement of the standalone financial statements, whether due to fraud or error, design and perform audit procedures responsive to those risks, and obtain audit evidence that is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion. The risk of not detecting a material misstatement resulting from fraud is higher than for one resulting from error, as fraud may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, m isrepresentations, 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 appropriate in the circumstances. Under section 143(3)(i) of the Act, we are also responsible for expressing our opinion on whether the Company has adequate internal financial controls system in place and the operating effectiveness of such controls.
• Evaluate the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of accounting estimates and related disclosures made by management.
• Conclude on the appropriateness of management's use of the going concern basis of accounting and, based on the audit evidence obtained, 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 in our auditor's report to the related disclosures in the standalone financial statements or, if such disclosures are inadequate, to modify our opinion. Our
conclusions are based on the audit evidence obtained up to the date of our auditor's report. However, future events or conditions may cause the Company to cease to continue as a going concern.
• Evaluate the overall presentation, structure and content of the standalone financial statements, including the disclosures, and whether the standalone financial statements represent the underlying transactions and events in a manner that achieves fair presentation.
Materiality is the magnitude of misstatements in the standalone financial statements that, individually or in aggregate, makes it probable that the economic decisions of a reasonably knowledgeable user of the financial statements may be influenced. We consider quantitative materiality and qualitative factors in (i) planning the scope of our audit work and in evaluating the results of our work; and (ii) to evaluate 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 audit and significant audit findings, including any significant deficiencies in internal control that we identify during our audit.
We also provide those charged with governance with a statement that we have complied with relevant ethical requirements regarding independence, and to communicate with them all relationships and other matters that may reasonably be thought to bear on our independence, and where applicable, related safeguards.
From the matters communicated with those charged with governance, we determine those matters that were of most significance in the audit of the standalone financial statements of the current period and are therefore the key audit matters. We describe these matters in our auditor's report unless law or regulation precludes public disclosure about the matter or when, in extremely rare circumstances, we determine that a matter should not be communicated in our report because the adverse consequences of doing so would reasonably be expected to outweigh the public interest benefits of such communication.
Report on Other Legal and Regulatory Requirements
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 were necessary 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 our examination of those books.
c. The Balance Sheet, the Statement of Profit and Loss including Other Comprehensive Income, Statement of Changes in Equity and the Statement of Cash Flow
dealt with by this Report are in agreement with the relevant books of account.
d. In our opinion, the aforesaid standalone financial statements comply with the Ind AS specified under Section 133 of the Act, read with Rule 7 of the Companies (Accounts) Rules, 2014.
e. On the basis of the written representations received from the directors as on March 31st , 2025 taken on record by the Board of Directors, none of the directors is disqualified as on March 31, 2025 from being appointed as a director in terms of Section 164 (2) of the Act.
f. With respect to the adequacy of the internal financial controls over financial reporting of the Company and the operating effectiveness of such controls, refer to our separate Report in "Annexure A". Our report expresses an unmodified opinion on the adequacy and operating effectiveness of the Company's internal financial controls over financial reporting.
g. With respect to the other matters to be included in the Auditor's Report in accordance with the requirements of section 197(16) of the Act, as amended :In our opinion and to the best of our information and according to the explanations given to us, the remuneration paid by the Company to its directors during the year is in accordance with the provisions of section 197 of the Act.
h. With respect to the other matters to be included in the Auditor's Report in accordance with Rule 11 of the Companies (Audit and Auditors) Rules, 2014, as amended in our opinion and to the best of our information and according to the explanations given to us :
i. The Company has disclosed the impact of pending litigations on its financial position in its standalone financial statements. (Refer Note: 3.28).
ii. The Company did not have any long-term contracts including derivative contracts for which there were any material foreseeable losses.
iii. There were no amounts which were required to be transferred to the Investor Education and Protection Fund by the Company.
iv. (a) The Management has represented that, to the best of its knowledge and belief, no funds (which are material either individually or in the aggregate) 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 or entity, including foreign entity ("Intermediaries"), with the understanding, whether recorded in writing or otherwise, that the Intermediary shall, whether, directly or
indirectly lend 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 (which are material either individually or in the aggregate) have been received by the Company from any person or entity, including foreign entity ("Funding Parties"), with the understanding, whether recorded in writing or otherwise, that the Company shall, whether, directly or indirectly, lend or 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 that have been considered reasonable and appropriate in the circumstances, nothing has come to our notice that has caused us to believe that the representations under sub-clause (i) and (ii) of Rule 11(e), as provided under (a) and (b) above, contain any material misstatement.
v. Based on our examination which included test
checks, the company has used an accounting software for maintaining its books of account which has a feature of recording audit trail (edit log) facility and the same has operated throughout the year for all relevant transactions recorded in the software. Further, during the course of our audit we did not come across any instance of audit trail feature being tampered with.
2. As required by the Companies (Auditor's Report) Order, 2020 ("the Order") issued by the Central Government in terms of Section 143(11) of the Act, we give in "Annexure B" a statement on the matters specified in paragraphs 3 and 4 of the Order.
For Pavuluri &Co.
Chartered Accountants
Firm Reg. No:012194S
UDIN : 25203300BMLHOU2590
(CA P A RAMAIAH)
PARTNER
M.No:20330
Place :Hyderabad Date : 19.05.2025
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