Are Digital Signature Certificates legally valid in India?

Yes, digital signature certificates are legally valid in India. Under the Information and Technology Act, 2000, the government of India has provisioned the use of digital signature certificates. Documents presented electronically can by signed using the digital signature certificates. The Controller of Certifying Authority (CCA) regulates and permits the Certifying Authorities (CAs) to issue digital signature certificates.

eMudhra is a licensed CA listed on the CCA's website and is authorized to issue digital signature certificates to individuals and organizations. Users can register to buy a digital signature certificate starting at Rs.1499, either for themselves or for an established organization on eMudhra Digital website.

Digital signatures are legal on par with traditional handwritten signatures. To promote the growth of e-commerce and e-governance in India, the central government established CCA on November 1, 2000. To sign the public keys of Indian CAs, CCA established the Root Certifying Authority of India (RCAI). Under section 18 (b) of the IT Act, 2000, RCAI can digitally sign licenses issued to CAs. Also, CCA signs all public keys connecting to the signing of the private key. A relying party can verify signed keys by CCA on the CCA website or CAs own website.