Company Court jurisdiction is confined to powers expressly conferred; section 10 cannot support a general remedy for share-allotment disputes.

Section 10 of the Companies Act, 1956 is only a jurisdiction-defining provision and does not confer any general or residuary power on the Company Court. The High Court's jurisdiction is limited to matters specifically assigned by the Act or the Companies (Court) Rules, and Rule 11 lists the applications maintainable by petition. A dispute alleging breach in share allotment and seeking related relief could not be brought under section 10 alone, because no provision was shown that empowered the Court to grant that relief. In the absence of an express or implied bar, civil court jurisdiction under section 9 of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 remained available. The petition was therefore not maintainable before the High Court.

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Issues: Whether the High Court had jurisdiction under section 10 of the Companies Act, 1956 to entertain the petition seeking relief for alleged breach in allotment of shares and to direct prosecution of the company.

Analysis: Section 10 of the Companies Act, 1956 is only a jurisdictional provision and does not itself confer a plenary or residuary power on the Company Court. The Court's jurisdiction is confined to matters specifically placed before it by the Act or the rules made thereunder, and Rule 11 of the Companies (Court) Rules enumerates the applications that may be made by petition. The dispute raised by the petitioner concerned alleged breach of the Act in relation to share allotment and related reliefs, but no provision was shown that conferred jurisdiction on the High Court to grant the relief sought under section 10 alone. The Court also held that, in the absence of express or implied bar, civil court jurisdiction under section 9 of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 remained available for such disputes, and that the petitioner could pursue the statutory or civil remedies otherwise available.

Conclusion: The High Court had no jurisdiction under section 10 of the Companies Act, 1956 to grant the relief sought, and the petition was not maintainable before it.

Final Conclusion: The petition failed for want of jurisdiction, leaving the petitioner to other remedies, if otherwise available in law.

Ratio Decidendi: Section 10 of the Companies Act, 1956 is a jurisdiction-defining provision and cannot be used as a source of general or residuary power; unless the Act or the rules specifically confer jurisdiction on the Company Court, disputes of the kind raised remain outside its purview and are not excluded from ordinary civil adjudication absent express or necessary implication.

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