DIGITAL SIGNATURE CERTIFICATE
An Introduction
Digital Signature Certificate is an electronic signature that can be used to authenticate the identity of the sender of a message or the signer of a document. It ensures that the original content of the message or document that has been sent is unchanged.
Digital signature normally give two algorithms. First for signing which includes the user’s secret or private key, and second for verifying signatures which includes the user’s public key. The output of the signature process is called the “digital signature”.
Digital signatures are easily transportable, cannot be imitated by someone else, and can be automatically time-stamped. The ability to ensure that the original signed message arrived means that the sender cannot easily repudiate it later.
The call for a Digital India is stronger than never before and with the majority of the business formations and transactions becoming online, security of these transactions poses a major issue. This issue is addressed by a Digital Signature Certificate which is essentially an electronic document. It is a prescribed requirement for companies’ filings and transactions through the Ministry of Corporate Affairs e-Governance Programme and therefore important that either all or at least one of the Directors has the same.
The provisions related to the Digital Signature Certificate are covered in the Information Technology Act, 2000. There are three classes of Digital Signatures with each for a different purpose:
CLASS 1:
Class 1 is used for email addresses and is the key to identify the person associated with the e-mail address. It does not have any legal validity in terms of signing documents or authenticating them.
CLASS 2:
Essentially the most widely used form of the Digital Signature Certificate; this is used by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) and the Income Tax Department for e-filing and verification of Documents in Company registration, LLP Registration, IT return filing, MCA return filing and IE Code Registration. It is granted as an USB token after ascertaining identity and address proof of an individual.
CLASS 3:
This is the most secure form of Digital Signature Certificate and is a key to ensuring the identity of the person holding the same in e-commerce, e-tendering and e-bidding as there is a higher demand for more secure transactions therein. This can be used for trademark registration as well. For issuance of a Class 3 Digital Signature Certificate the Registering Authority needs to verify the identity of the applicant in person.
PROCEDURE FOR OBTAINING A DIGITAL SIGNATURE CERTIFICATE:
For obtaining a Digital Signature Certificate, the Applicant can approach the Certifying Authorities which have been authorized by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs in this regard and the list of the same can be obtained at the MCA Website. These are:
- National Informatics Center(NIC)
- IDRBT Certifying Authority
- SafeScrypt CA Services, Sify Communications Limited
- (n) Code Solutions CA
E-Mudhra
For the same the Applicant would be required to fill the application form and submit the same with original documents, or using Aadhar e-KYC based authentication wherein the supporting documents will not be required to be submitted. The DSC is valid for a period of one to two years and the cost of the same varies from different Certifying Authorities and can typically be provided within seven working days.
