If a person who intends to claim sickness benefit or disablement benefit for temporary disablement fails to submit to the appropriate Branch Office by post or otherwise the first medical certificate or any subsequent medical certificate within a period of three days from the date of issue of such certificate he shall not be eligible for that benefit in respect of any period (i) in the case of a first certificate, more than three days before the date on which the certificate is submitted to the appropriate Branch Office; (ii) in the case of a subsequent certificate, more than fourteen days before the date on which such subsequent certificate is submitted to the appropriate Branch Office:
Provided that the appropriate Regional Office or other office as authorised by the Director General may relax all or any of the provisions of this regulation in any particular case, if it is satisfied that the delay in submitting a certificate was due to bona fide reasons.
