Section 9 IT Act: Sections 6, 7 and 8 not to confer right to insist document should be accepted in electronic form

Section 9 IT Act limits the effect of Sections 6, 7, and 8 IT Act so that no person can use those three provisions to force government offices or public bodies to work in electronic form. Sections 6, 7, and 8 IT Act enable electronic governance: Section 6 IT Act covers filing documents, issuing licences, permits, sanctions, or approvals, and receiving or paying money in the electronic form prescribed by the appropriate Government; Section 7 IT Act covers retaining documents, records, or information in electronic form; and Section 8 IT Act covers publishing rules, orders, notifications, and other matters in the Electronic Gazette.

Even though Sections 6, 7, and 8 IT Act validate electronic records (a term defined in Section 2 IT Act) and electronic publication, Section 9 IT Act states that nothing in those sections confers (grants) a legal right on any person to insist on electronic dealing. This protection applies to every Ministry or Department of the Central Government or a State Government, to every authority or body established by or under any law, and to every authority or body controlled or funded by the Central Government or a State Government.

Specifically, no person can rely on Sections 6, 7, or 8 IT Act to insist that any of those Ministries, Departments, authorities, or bodies accept, issue, create, retain, and preserve any document in the form of electronic records. Likewise, no person can rely on those sections to insist that such an office or body effect (carry out) any monetary transaction in electronic form.