Revocation of Digital Signature Certificate
Section 38 of the Information Technology Act, 2000 deals with revocation of Digital Signature Certificate. A Certifying Authority may revoke a Digital Signature Certificate issued by it-- (a) where the subscriber or any other person authorised by him makes a request to that effect; The Act came into force on 17 Oct 2000.
(1) A Certifying Authority may revoke a Digital Signature Certificate issued by it--
(a) where the subscriber or any other person authorised by him makes a request to that effect; or
(b) upon the death of the subscriber; or
(c) upon the dissolution of the firm or winding up of the company where the subscriber is a firm or a company.
(2) Subject to the provisions of sub-section (3) and without prejudice to the provisions of sub-section (1), a Certifying Authority may revoke a Digital Signature Certificate which has been issued by it at any time, if it is of opinion that--
(a) a material fact represented in the Digital Signature Certificate is false or has been concealed;
(b) a requirement for issuance of the Digital Signature Certificate was not satisfied;
(c) the Certifying Authority's private key or security system was compromised in a manner materially affecting the Digital Signature Certificate's reliability;
(d) the subscriber has been declared insolvent or dead or where a subscriber is a firm or a company, which has been dissolved, wound-up or otherwise ceased to exist.
(3) A Digital Signature Certificate shall not be revoked unless the subscriber has been given an opportunity of being heard in the matter.
(4) On revocation of a Digital Signature Certificate under this section, the Certifying Authority shall communicate the same to the subscriber.
Section 38, The Information Technology Act, 2000 (Act 21 of 2000).
Cross-references
Extracted from the operative text of the enactments themselves. Every destination below exists in our corpus.
Referred to by 1
Made under this section, and citing it
2 instruments name this provision in its title or its text without being made under it.
Questions about Section 38
What does Section 38 of the Information Technology Act deal with?
Section 38 of the Information Technology Act is headed "Revocation of Digital Signature Certificate". A Certifying Authority may revoke a Digital Signature Certificate issued by it-- (a) where the subscriber or any other person authorised by him makes a request to that effect;
How do I find court cases under Section 38 of the Information Technology Act?
In judgments and charge sheets this section is written several ways, and each form finds a different set of orders. These search the full text of every order eCourtsIndia holds, best matches first: IT Act 38, section 38 IT Act, section 38 of the Information Technology Act. People searching for it also type income tax act section 38. Each opens the full list of orders on eCourtsIndia, where it can be narrowed by court, year and outcome.
What should I read with Section 38 of the Information Technology Act, and has it changed?
1 other provision in this corpus refers back to it. 2 instruments name it without being made under it, most recently Digital Signature (End Entity) Rules, 2015 (2015), then (Certifying Authorities) Amendment Rules, 2011 -Rules 4,5A and 6 (2011).
When did Section 38 of the Information Technology Act come into force?
Section 38 of the Information Technology Act, cited as IT Act 38, came into force on 17 Oct 2000, having been enacted on 09 Jun 2000. It is in force as at the date shown on this page.
Other sections of this Act
- 2. Definitions1304 words
- 87. Power of Central Government to make rules877 words
- 43. Penalty and compensation for damage to computer, computer system, etc506 words
- 46. Power to adjudicate370 words
- 89. Power of Controller to make regulations345 words
- 70B. Indian Computer Emergency Response Team to serve as national agency for incident response326 words
Source and method. Compiled from the enactments of Parliament and of the State legislatures as published on India Code, and republished together with commentary and other original matter under section 52(1)(q)(ii) of the Copyright Act, 1957. Structured, cross-referenced and maintained by eCourtsIndia. Text as in force on 17 Oct 2026. This page is not a substitute for legal advice.