Article 212: No Harsher Sentence on Defendant's Appeal
Statutory text (Thai original)
คดีที่จำเลยอุทธรณ์คำพิพากษาที่ให้ลงโทษ ห้ามมิให้ศาลอุทธรณ์พิพากษาเพิ่มเติมโทษจำเลย เว้นแต่โจทก์จะได้อุทธรณ์ในทำนองนั้น
English translation
In a case where the defendant appeals against a judgment imposing punishment, the Court of Appeal is prohibited from increasing the defendant's punishment, unless the prosecutor has appealed to that effect.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified. Always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
Section 212 codifies the prohibition on reformatio in peius: a defendant who appeals a conviction cannot be worse off for having exercised the right to appeal, unless the prosecutor has also appealed seeking a heavier penalty. This protects the appeal right by removing the risk that challenging a sentence could backfire into a harsher one. The bar is strict: even where an appellate or supreme court sees that the sentence below was legally too low or omitted a mandatory penalty, it cannot correct it upward if the prosecution did not appeal, because doing so would increase the defendant's punishment. By Section 225 the same limit binds the Supreme Court on dika.
Why this matters in practice
This is one of the strongest protections for a convicted defendant deciding whether to appeal: if the prosecutor has not appealed, appealing your own sentence cannot lead to a heavier one, so there is no downside risk of a worse penalty on your appeal. The reverse is equally important: if the prosecutor has appealed for a heavier sentence, that safety net is gone and the Court of Appeal can increase the punishment, so the prosecution's appeal changes your risk profile entirely. Before appealing, always check whether the prosecutor has cross-appealed. A consultation with a Thai lawyer can help you weigh the risks of appealing a sentence.
Décisions de la Cour suprême interprétant cette section
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Arrêt de la Cour suprême n° 2966/2568 (2025)
Where the lower courts failed to impose a fine that the law allowed, the higher court still cannot add the fine if the prosecutor did not appeal, because doing so would increase the defendant's punishment, which is prohibited under Section 212 read with Section 225.
The lower courts had not imposed a fine that could lawfully accompany the sentence. Because the prosecutor did not file a dika, the Supreme Court held it could not add the fine, since that would increase the defendant's punishment contrary to Section 212 with Section 225.
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Arrêt de la Cour suprême n° 6009/2567 (2024)
Even though the Court of Appeal imposed a term below the statutory minimum, the higher court cannot correct the penalty upward where the prosecutor did not appeal, because that would increase the defendant's punishment contrary to Section 212 read with Section 225.
The Court of Appeal had sentenced the defendant to a term lower than the law allowed. Because the prosecutor filed no dika, the Supreme Court held it could not correct the penalty upward, as this would increase the defendant's punishment under Section 212 with Section 225, and left the lenient term standing.
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Arrêt de la Cour suprême n° 33/2568 (2025)
Where the Court of Appeal wrongly removed a fine, the Supreme Court still cannot restore it if the prosecutor did not appeal, since reinstating the fine would increase the defendant's punishment contrary to Section 212 read with Section 225.
The Court of Appeal had improperly amended the judgment not to fine the defendant for a narcotics distribution offense. Because the prosecutor did not file a dika, the Supreme Court held it could not reimpose the fine, as that would increase the defendant's punishment under Section 212 with Section 225, and affirmed.
Curated decisions with case numbers verified against the Supreme Court database. English renderings are the firm's editorial translation for study.
Cited in 255 Supreme Court decisions (1965 to 2026)
Décisions de citation sélectionnées
- Decision 4992/2568 (2025)
- Decision 8990/2568 (2025)
- Decision 1494/2566 (2023)
- Decision 4907/2563 (2020)
- Decision 1352/2563 (2020)
- Decision 1060-1061/2563 (2020)
- Decision 4281/2562 (2019)
- Decision 4338/2560 (2017)
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 225 188
- Article 78 du Code pénal thaïlandais 185
- Article 91 du Code pénal thaïlandais 169
- Article 83 du Code pénal thaïlandais 114
- Article 90 du Code pénal thaïlandais 108
- Article 195 105
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
Si je fais appel de ma peine, peut-elle être alourdie ?
Sauf si vous êtes le seul à faire appel. En vertu de l'article 212, la Cour d'appel ne peut aggraver la peine du prévenu que si le procureur a également interjeté appel en demandant une peine plus lourde.
Et si la peine prononcée par le tribunal de première instance était trop légère au regard de la loi ?
Néanmoins, la Cour suprême estime que si le procureur n'a pas fait appel, la peine ne peut pas être corrigée à la hausse, car cela augmenterait la peine du défendeur contrairement à l'article 212.
Guides connexes sur ThaiLawOnline
Citer cette section
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Citation simple
Criminal Procedure Code, s. 212 (Thailand) -
Citation académique
Criminal Procedure Code (Thailand), s. 212. ThaiLawOnline, https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-criminal-procedure-code/section-212/ (accessed 1 septembre 2026). -
Citation thaïlandaise
ป.วิ.อ. มาตรา 212 -
Lien permanent
https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-criminal-procedure-code/section-212/ -
Intégrer sur votre site
<blockquote cite="https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-criminal-procedure-code/section-212/"><p>In a case where the defendant appeals against a judgment imposing punishment, the Court of Appeal is prohibited from increasing the defendant's punishment, unless the prosecutor has appealed to that effect.</p><footer>Criminal Procedure Code, s. 212 (Thailand): <a href="https://www.thailawonline.com/fr/thai-criminal-procedure-code/section-212/">ThaiLawOnline</a></footer></blockquote>
The Thai text is authoritative. The English is an unofficial translation by ThaiLawOnline, free to reuse with attribution.