Article 41 — Verifying illness used to postpone
Texte légal (original thaï)
ถ้ามีการขอเลื่อนการนั่งพิจารณาโดยอ้างว่าตัวความ ผู้แทน ทนายความ พยาน หรือบุคคลอื่นที่ถูกเรียกให้มาศาลไม่สามารถมาศาลได้เพราะป่วยเจ็บ เมื่อศาลเห็นสมควร หรือเมื่อคู่ความฝ่ายใดฝ่ายหนึ่งมีคำขอฝ่ายเดียว ศาลจะมีคำสั่งตั้งเจ้าพนักงานไปทำการตรวจก็ได้ และถ้าสามารถหาแพทย์ได้ก็ให้ตั้งแพทย์ไปตรวจด้วย ถ้าผู้ที่ศาลตั้งให้ไปตรวจได้รายงานโดยสาบานตนหรือกล่าวคำปฏิญาณแล้ว และศาลเชื่อว่าอาการของผู้ที่อ้างว่าป่วยนั้นไม่ร้ายแรงถึงกับจะมาศาลไม่ได้ ให้ศาลดำเนินกระบวนพิจารณาตามบทบัญญัติแห่งประมวลกฎหมายนี้ว่าด้วยการขาดนัดหรือการไม่มาศาลของบุคคลที่อ้างว่าป่วยนั้น แล้วแต่กรณีศาลอาจสั่งให้คู่ความฝ่ายที่ขอให้ไปตรวจตามวรรคหนึ่ง หรือคู่ความใดไปกับผู้ที่ศาลตั้งให้ไปตรวจ คู่ความนั้นจะมอบให้ผู้ใดไปแทนตนก็ได้ค่าพาหนะและค่าป่วยการของเจ้าพนักงานและแพทย์ ให้ถือว่าเป็นค่าฤชาธรรมเนียม และให้นำมาตรา ๑๖๖ มาใช้บังคับ
traduction anglaise
If a postponement of the hearing is requested on the ground that a party, a representative, counsel, a witness, or any other person summoned to attend the court is unable to attend owing to illness, then, when the court thinks fit or upon the ex parte application of either party, the court may order an official to be appointed to make an examination, and, if a physician can be found, a physician shall also be appointed to examine. If the person appointed by the court to examine has reported under oath or affirmation, and the court believes that the condition of the person alleged to be ill is not so serious as to prevent attendance at court, the court shall proceed in accordance with the provisions of this Code concerning default or non-appearance of the person alleged to be ill, as the case may be. The court may order the party who requested the examination under paragraph one, or any party, to accompany the person appointed by the court to make the examination; that party may appoint another person to attend in its stead. The travelling costs and allowance of the official and the physician shall be deemed to be court costs, and section 166 shall apply.
Cette traduction anglaise est fournie à titre indicatif uniquement et n'a pas encore été vérifiée de manière définitive ; référez-vous toujours à l'original thaï.
Annotation de l'entreprise
Section 41 supplements section 40 by dealing specifically with postponements grounded on illness. It gives the court a verification tool: it may appoint an official, and a physician where one can be found, to examine the person said to be ill, and if the sworn report shows the condition is not serious enough to prevent attendance, the court proceeds under the rules on default or non-appearance. Crucially, this power is discretionary, exercised only when the court thinks fit or a party applies; it does not oblige the court to order an examination in every illness case. The examiner's travelling costs and allowance are treated as court costs governed by section 166. Sections 39 and 40 remain the primary provisions on postponement grounds, with section 41 supplying the specific illness verification procedure.
Pourquoi cela est important en pratique
If you or a key witness are genuinely too ill to attend, expect the court may test that claim: it can send an official or doctor to examine, and a report that the illness is not serious can turn the postponement into a default with all the consequences that follow. Support an illness-based request with a credible medical certificate and, ideally, offer to make the person available for examination. If the other side is stalling behind repeated illness claims, you can ask the court to appoint an examiner, though the court is not bound to do so. Because a wrongly handled sick note can lose the case by default, get advice from a avocat thaïlandais quickly.
Décisions de la Cour suprême interprétant cette section
-
Supreme Court Judgment No. 1842/2551 (2008)
Appointing an official or physician to examine an alleged illness under section 41 paragraph one is discretionary; the provision does not absolutely compel the court to order such an examination, and it need not do so where neither party requested it.
The defendant argued that had the court appointed an official or physician to examine his illness, it would have found he was genuinely too ill to attend. The Supreme Court held that examination under section 41 paragraph one applies only when the court thinks fit or a party requests it, and the provision does not absolutely require the court to order an examination. Since neither party had requested one, the court could decide the postponement from the circumstances shown in the papers.
-
Supreme Court Judgment No. 4805/2547 (2004)
Sections 39 and 40 are the primary provisions the court applies to decide whether legal grounds for a postponement exist; section 41 is the specific procedure for the illness ground and does not displace the initial assessment under section 40.
The defendants failed to satisfy the court that refusing a postponement would cause a failure of justice, so their request did not accord with section 40 paragraph one. Rejecting the argument that illness under section 41 must be applied to the exclusion of other sections, the Supreme Court explained that the grounds and details for postponement are set out in sections 39 and 40, which the court considers first, while section 41 supplies the specific procedure once an illness ground is in play.
Décisions sélectionnées avec numéros de dossier vérifiés dans la base de données de la Cour suprême. Les versions anglaises sont des traductions éditoriales réalisées par le cabinet à des fins d'étude.
Foire aux questions
Can the court check whether a party is really too ill to attend?
Yes. Under section 41, when it thinks fit or a party applies, the court may appoint an official, and a physician if available, to examine the person said to be ill. If the report shows the illness is not serious, the court can proceed as if the person defaulted.
Must the court always send someone to examine the sick person?
No. The power under section 41 is discretionary. The court is not required to order an examination in every case; it does so only when it thinks fit or a party requests it.