India, April 22 -- A benefit secured by fraud is voidable and generates no enforceable equities, the Orissa high court has ruled, upholding public sector undertaking Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL)'s termination of a petrol pump dealership obtained through a forged graduation certificate.

Justice Sanjeeb K Panigrahi dismissed a writ petition of Prasanta Behera, who operated a BPCL retail outlet in Bhubaneswar for nearly a decade before his dealership was cancelled in May 2015 after Utkal University confirmed it had no record of the qualification he claimed during the application process.

"Where entry into a privileged position is obtained on the basis of a false certificate or fraudulent representation, the foundation of suc...