Article 185: Acquittal or Conviction of the Defendant
Statutory text (Thai original)
ถ้าศาลเห็นว่าจำเลยมิได้กระทำผิดก็ดี การกระทำของจำเลยไม่เป็นความผิดก็ดี คดีขาดอายุความแล้วก็ดี มีเหตุตามกฎหมายที่จำเลยไม่ควรต้องรับโทษก็ดี ให้ศาลยกฟ้องโจทก์ปล่อยจำเลยไป แต่ศาลจะสั่งขังจำเลยไว้หรือปล่อยชั่วคราวระหว่างคดียังไม่ถึงที่สุดก็ได้เมื่อศาลเห็นว่าจำเลยได้กระทำความผิด และไม่มีการยกเว้นโทษตามกฎหมาย ให้ศาลลงโทษแก่จำเลยตามความผิดแต่เมื่อเห็นสมควรจะปล่อยจำเลยชั่วคราวระหว่างคดียังไม่ถึงที่สุดก็ได้
English translation
If the court is of the opinion that the defendant did not commit the offence, or that the defendant's act is not an offence, or that the case is barred by prescription, or that there is a ground in law on which the defendant should not be punished, the court shall dismiss the charge and release the defendant; but the court may order the defendant detained or grant provisional release while the case is not yet final. When the court is of the opinion that the defendant has committed the offence and there is no exemption from punishment under the law, the court shall impose a penalty on the defendant according to the offence; but when it thinks fit, the court may grant provisional release of the defendant while the case is not yet final.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified. Always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
Section 185 states the two possible outcomes of a criminal trial in Title 3 (Judgments and Orders): acquittal or conviction. It lists the grounds for dismissal, namely that the defendant did not commit the act, the act is no offence, the case is time-barred, or a legal ground for non-punishment exists, and confirms that either outcome may be accompanied by an order on custody or provisional release pending finality. Paragraph one has been treated as engaging public order: appellate and supreme courts may raise, of their own motion, a legal ground for acquittal such as an offence being decriminalised or an unproven charge, even if the defendant did not appeal. Paragraph two, on imposing the appropriate penalty, works with Sections 215 and 225 to let higher courts review the fitness of a sentence.
Why this matters in practice
This section is where a defendant's fate is decided, and its grounds for acquittal are broad enough to include not just factual innocence but legal defences like prescription or an act that is not a crime. Importantly, an appeal court can acquit on these public-order grounds even if the defendant did not raise them, and can also revisit whether the sentence fits, so a well-argued appeal can produce relief beyond the specific points raised. Because both acquittal and conviction can be paired with provisional release, a convicted defendant should promptly seek bail pending appeal. Get advice on your prospects before appealing; an online consultation with a Thai lawyer can help you weigh the grounds.
Décisions de la Cour suprême interprétant cette section
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Arrêt de la Cour suprême n° 1546/2568 (2025)
A legal ground for acquittal under Section 185 paragraph one is a matter of public order, so an appellate court may raise it of its own motion even though the defendant did not appeal.
Because the prosecution offered no evidence to support the armed-robbery charge, there was a legal ground to acquit. The Supreme Court held that under Section 185 paragraph one with Section 195 paragraph two and Section 215, this was a public-order question the appellate court could raise on its own motion even though the defendant had not appealed it.
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Arrêt de la Cour suprême n° 1225/2567 (2024)
Where an act has ceased to be an offence, the appellate court may of its own motion acquit under Section 185 paragraph one with Section 195 paragraph two, as a public-order question within its general power.
Cannabis-related conduct had ceased to be an offence. The Supreme Court held the appellate court had power to acquit on the production and possession charges as a public-order legal question under Section 185 paragraph one and Section 195 paragraph two, and that doing so did not conflict with the special narcotics-procedure law.
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Arrêt de la Cour suprême n° 7946/2568 (2025)
Once a case reaches the Supreme Court, it has power under Section 185 paragraph two with Sections 215 and 225 to consider whether the penalty imposed by the appellate court is appropriate.
The Supreme Court held that once the case was before it, it could review whether the penalty the appellate court imposed was appropriate, invoking Section 185 paragraph two together with Sections 215 and 225, and examined the sentencing for the electronic-card offence on that basis.
Curated decisions with case numbers verified against the Supreme Court database. English renderings are the firm's editorial translation for study.
Cited in 363 Supreme Court decisions (1954 to 2026)
Décisions de citation sélectionnées
- Décision 4292/2567 (2024)
- Decision 858/2567 (2024)
- Decision 532/2567 (2024)
- Decision 286/2567 (2024)
- Décision 5161/2566 (2023)
- Decision 2813/2566 (2023)
- Decision 4826/2565 (2022)
- Decision 4245/2565 (2022)
Cette liste est sélectionnée automatiquement, en privilégiant les jugements qui reposent sur cet article plutôt que sur ceux qui se contentent de le citer lors du prononcé de la peine. Elle n'a pas encore été examinée par le cabinet.
Le plus souvent cité aux côtés de
- Article 91 du Code pénal thaïlandais 225
- Article 225 202
- Article 215 198
- Article 78 du Code pénal thaïlandais 188
- Article 83 du Code pénal thaïlandais 144
- Article 90 du Code pénal thaïlandais 127
Sections qui apparaissent le plus souvent dans les mêmes jugements que celui-ci. Le chiffre correspond au nombre de décisions.
Calculé sur l'ensemble du corpus de 83 652 décisions de la Cour suprême du cabinet, de 1921 à 2026. Le décompte est exhaustif ; la plage d'années indiquée élimine les valeurs aberrantes rares afin de refléter la répartition réelle des citations. Ces chiffres sont calculés par nos soins et ne constituent pas des statistiques officielles de la Cour. Comment nous les comptons et ce que nous avons mesuré
Foire aux questions
Pour quels motifs un tribunal thaïlandais peut-il rejeter une accusation criminelle ?
En vertu de l'article 185, si le défendeur n'a pas commis l'infraction, si l'acte n'est pas une infraction, si l'affaire est prescrite ou s'il existe un motif légal de non-punition, le tribunal rejette l'accusation et libère le défendeur.
Une cour d'appel peut-elle prononcer un acquittement sur la base de motifs que le défendeur n'a pas invoqués ?
Oui. Les motifs énoncés au paragraphe 1 de l'article 185 concernent l'ordre public ; les cours d'appel et la Cour suprême peuvent donc les invoquer d'office, par exemple lorsqu'un acte a été dépénalisé.
Guides connexes sur ThaiLawOnline
Citer cette section
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Citation simple
Criminal Procedure Code, s. 185 (Thailand) -
Citation académique
Criminal Procedure Code (Thailand), s. 185. ThaiLawOnline, https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-criminal-procedure-code/section-185/ (accessed 1 septembre 2026). -
Citation thaïlandaise
ป.วิ.อ. มาตรา 185 -
Lien permanent
https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-criminal-procedure-code/section-185/ -
Intégrer sur votre site
<blockquote cite="https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-criminal-procedure-code/section-185/"><p>If the court is of the opinion that the defendant did not commit the offence, or that the defendant's act is not an offence, or that the case is barred by prescription, or that there is a ground in law on which the defendant should…</p><footer>Criminal Procedure Code, s. 185 (Thailand): <a href="https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-criminal-procedure-code/section-185/">ThaiLawOnline</a></footer></blockquote>
The Thai text is authoritative. The English is an unofficial translation by ThaiLawOnline, free to reuse with attribution.