Information Technology Act 2000 in India - Authentication of E-Documents

Prof. R. G. Pawar

Asst. Professor, MCA Dept.,
Sinhgad Institute of Mgmt.,
Vadgaon (Bk.),
Pune (India) – 411 041
http://WWW.Sinhgad.edu
rgpawar@rediffmail.com

Dr. B. S. Sawant

Director, Rayat Shikshan Sanstha’s,
K. B. P. Institute of Management Studies & Research,
Satara – 415 001
drbssawant@rediffmail.com

Prof. A. Kaiwade

Lecturer, MCA Dept.,
Sinhgad Institute of Mgmt.,
Vadgaon (Bk.),
Pune (India) – 411 041
http://WWW.Sinhgad.edu

ABSTRACT

The Information Technology Act 2000 has enacted in India on 9th June 2000. This Act has mentioned provision of authentication of electronic document. It is the need of hour at that time that such provision is needed in the Indian Law system, especially for electronic commerce and electronic governance. Electronic commerce”, which involve the use of alternatives to paper based methods of communication and storage information. To do electronic commerce there should be authentication of particular document. The working of internet is the documents are traveling in terms of bits from one destination to other destination, through various media like – Co-axial cable, fiber optic, satellite etc. While traveling this document there is probability of making changes in that document by any third party is high or some document may get changed due to noise/disturbance in communication media. This Act required to provide legal recognition carried out by means of electronic data interchange and other means of electronic communication.

In this paper researchers studied technological aspects of Information Technology Act 2000 like hash function, encryption, decryption, public key, private key etc. and its process. This paper gives details about certifying authority in detail. There should be some mechanism that will take care of document, that what ever the document is received should be the authentic one and it would not get changed in any manner due to any cause.

1. INTRODUCTION

Before 9th June 2000 there was no specially enacted law for the Information Technology. If any offence happens in cyber space then one has to prosecute under “The Indian Penal code 1872”. But due to some new concepts and technology, The Indian Penal code unable to cover the actual requirements of these concepts. So there was need to have some law which will perfect offences like pornography – publishing of information which is obscene in electronic form, hacking with computer system, cyber defamation, cyber stalking, Tampering with computer source documents etc.