Section 37

Section 37 governs the temporary suspension of a Digital Signature Certificate (DSC) — a step below permanent revocation (Section 38) that preserves the option of reinstatement. Suspension can be triggered in two ways. First, voluntarily: the subscriber or their authorised representative can request suspension — useful when a subscriber suspects their private key has been compromised but is not yet certain, or when they need to take the certificate temporarily out of service. Second, at the CA's initiative: if the Certifying Authority forms the opinion that suspension is necessary in the public interest — for example, upon receiving credible intelligence of key compromise or fraudulent use — it may act unilaterally. The critical procedural safeguard is in Section 37(3): suspension beyond fifteen days requires that the subscriber be given an opportunity to be heard. This prevents arbitrary long-term suspension without due process. Practically, a suspended DSC will appear as suspended in the CA's Certificate Revocation List (CRL) and OCSP response, causing any relying party's software to reject signatures made during the suspension period. When a suspension is lifted, the certificate returns to active status — distinguishing it from revocation, which is permanent. CAs must notify the subscriber of suspension promptly under Section 37(2).