Article 253 — Fee Exemption for Restitution Claims
Texte légal (original thaï)
ในคดีพนักงานอัยการเป็นโจทก์ซึ่งมีคำร้องให้คืนหรือใช้ราคาทรัพย์สินติดมากับฟ้องอาญาตามมาตรา ๔๓ หรือมีคำขอของผู้เสียหายขอให้บังคับจำเลยชดใช้ค่าสินไหมทดแทนมิให้เรียกค่าธรรมเนียม เว้นแต่ในกรณีที่ศาลเห็นว่าผู้เสียหายเรียกเอาค่าสินไหมทดแทนสูงเกินสมควร หรือดำเนินคดีโดยไม่สุจริต ให้ศาลมีอำนาจสั่งให้ผู้เสียหายชำระค่าธรรมเนียมทั้งหมดหรือแต่เฉพาะบางส่วนภายในระยะเวลาที่ศาลกำหนดก็ได้ และถ้าผู้เสียหายเพิกเฉยไม่ปฏิบัติตามคำสั่งศาล ให้ถือว่าเป็นการทิ้งฟ้องในคดีส่วนแพ่งนั้นในกรณีที่มีคำพิพากษาหรือคำสั่งให้คืนหรือใช้ราคาทรัพย์สิน
หรือค่าสินไหมทดแทนตามวรรคหนึ่ง ถ้าศาลยังต้องจัดการอะไรอีกเพื่อการบังคับ
ผู้ที่จะได้รับคืนทรัพย์สินหรือราคาหรือค่าสินไหมทดแทน
จักต้องเสียค่าธรรมเนียมดังคดีแพ่งสำหรับการต่อไปนั้น
traduction anglaise
In a case where the public prosecutor is plaintiff with a request to return or pay the value of property attached to the criminal charge under section 43, or where there is a request by the injured person to have the defendant pay compensation, no fee shall be demanded, except that where the court finds the injured person has claimed compensation excessively or has litigated in bad faith, the court has power to order the injured person to pay all or part of the fees within the time set by the court, and if the injured person ignores and fails to comply with the court's order, it shall be deemed abandonment of the claim in that civil part. Where there is a judgment or order to return or pay the value of property or compensation under paragraph one, if the court must still take any further step for enforcement, the person who is to receive the returned property, its value, or the compensation must pay fees as in a civil case for that further step.
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 253 is the fee-exemption backbone of the Chapter. Restitution claims attached by the prosecutor under section 43 and victim compensation requests (linked to section 44/1) are fee-free, keeping the criminal-adjacent civil claim accessible. The exception is an anti-abuse valve: excessive or bad-faith claims can be made to bear fees, and non-payment is treated as abandonment. Paragraph two adds that once enforcement requires further steps, the recipient pays fees as in an ordinary civil case for those steps.
Pourquoi cela est important en pratique
For victims, this section is why a compensation claim rides on the criminal case at no filing cost, an efficient route to recovery. But keep claims reasonable and honest: inflated or bad-faith demands can trigger a fee order, and failing to pay it kills the civil claim. Note also that attorney's fees and litigation costs are separate and can still be awarded, and that further enforcement steps carry ordinary civil fees.
Décisions de la Cour suprême interprétant cette section
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 948/2568 (2025)
Although a victim's compensation claim is fee-exempt under section 253, attorney's fees and litigation costs are litigation costs the court may award in the civil part at its discretion when the case concludes.
The Court held that the civil judgment must address litigation costs and attorney's fees, which may be ordered paid or left to lie where they fall, even though the compensation claim itself was fee-exempt under section 253.
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 7571/2560 (2017)
Under section 253 paragraph one no fee is demanded on a victim's compensation claim where the prosecutor is plaintiff, but attorney's fees are litigation costs governed separately under section 258.
The appellate court vacated a 4,000 baht attorney's-fee award on the reasoning that section 253(1) bars fees on the victim's compensation claim; the Supreme Court analyzed the point together with section 258 and the Civil Procedure Code rules on litigation costs.
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
Does a victim pay a court fee to claim compensation in a criminal case?
No. Under section 253 a victim's compensation request, and a prosecutor's attached restitution claim under section 43, are exempt from court fees.
What happens if a victim claims an excessive amount?
The court may order the victim to pay all or part of the fees within a set time; if the victim ignores the order, the civil claim is deemed abandoned under section 253.
Are attorney's fees also exempt under section 253?
No. The Supreme Court has held that although the compensation claim is fee-exempt, attorney's fees and litigation costs are separate and the court may still award them.