Section 103 — Full opportunity to attend evidence
Statutory text (Thai original)
ภายใต้บังคับบทบัญญัติแห่งประมวลกฎหมายนี้ว่าด้วยการขาดนัด การร้องสอด และการขับไล่ออกนอกศาล ห้ามมิให้ศาลที่พิจารณาคดี หรือผู้พิพากษาที่รับมอบหมาย หรือศาลที่ได้รับแต่งตั้งดังกล่าวข้างต้นทำการสืบพยานหลักฐานใด โดยมิได้ให้โอกาสเต็มที่แก่คู่ความทุกฝ่ายในอันที่จะมาฟังการพิจารณา และใช้สิทธิเกี่ยวด้วยกระบวนการพิจารณาเช่นว่านั้น ตามที่บัญญัติไว้ในประมวลกฎหมายนี้ ไม่ว่าพยานหลักฐานนั้นคู่ความฝ่ายใดจะเป็นผู้อ้างอิง หรือศาลเป็นผู้สั่งให้สืบ
English translation
Subject to the provisions of this Code concerning default, intervention, and expulsion from the court, the court trying the case, the entrusted judge, or the court appointed as mentioned above shall not take any evidence without giving a full opportunity to every party to attend the hearing and to exercise its rights in connection with such proceeding as provided in this Code, regardless of whether that evidence is relied on by any party or is ordered to be taken by the court.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified — always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
Section 103 states a core fair-hearing guarantee for the evidence stage: no evidence may be taken without a full opportunity for every party to attend and to exercise its rights, whoever adduces it and even where the court calls it. It binds not only the trial court but any entrusted judge or appointed court taking evidence under Section 102, reinforcing the participation rights that section builds in. The guarantee is expressly subject to the Code's own rules on default, intervention and expulsion from the courtroom, which lawfully limit a party's presence. A breach can render the proceeding defective, but it is not engaged where the party in fact had, or waived, the opportunity to attend.
Why this matters in practice
This is one of the strongest procedural cards a litigant holds: if the court takes evidence behind your back or shuts you out of the hearing, you may be able to attack the resulting proceeding as unlawful. To rely on it, make sure the record shows you were denied a real chance to attend, not merely that you chose not to come. Conversely, do not expect Section 103 to help where you were given proper notice and simply failed to appear, that is a different situation governed by the default rules.
Supreme Court decisions interpreting this section
-
Supreme Court Judgment No. 955/2518 (1975)
Section 103 is engaged only where the court denies a party a full opportunity to attend the hearing and exercise its procedural rights; it does not apply, and no further inquiry is required, where the facts are already clear from the party's own motion.
The facts appeared clearly from the plaintiff's own motion, so the trial court did not have to hold an inquiry before ruling. The Supreme Court held that this was not a case where the court had denied a party a full opportunity to attend and exercise its rights, so Section 103 did not apply and the Court of Appeal had no ground to send the matter back for an inquiry.
Curated decisions with case numbers verified against the Supreme Court database. English renderings are the firm's editorial translation for study.
Frequently asked questions
Can the court take evidence without me present?
Section 103 forbids taking any evidence without giving every party a full opportunity to attend and exercise its rights, subject only to the Code's rules on default, intervention and expulsion from the court.
Does it apply when the court itself calls evidence?
Yes. The full-opportunity guarantee applies regardless of whether a party relies on the evidence or the court orders it to be taken.
Is Section 103 breached if I was notified but did not attend?
Not by itself. The section is about being denied the opportunity to attend; where you were given a proper chance and simply did not come, that falls under the default rules instead.