Section 128/1: Scientific evidence and DNA testing
Statutory text (Thai original)
ในกรณีที่จำเป็นต้องใช้พยานหลักฐานทางวิทยาศาสตร์เพื่อพิสูจน์ข้อเท็จจริงใดที่เป็นประเด็นสำคัญแห่งคดี เมื่อศาลเห็นสมควรหรือเมื่อคู่ความฝ่ายใดฝ่ายหนึ่งร้องขอ ศาลมีอำนาจสั่งให้ทำการตรวจพิสูจน์บุคคล วัตถุหรือเอกสารใด ๆ โดยวิธีการทางวิทยาศาสตร์ได้
ในกรณีที่พยานหลักฐานทางวิทยาศาสตร์จะสามารถพิสูจน์ให้เห็นถึงข้อเท็จจริงที่ทำให้ศาลวินิจฉัยชี้ขาดคดีได้โดยไม่ต้องสืบพยานหลักฐานอื่นอีก เมื่อศาลเห็นสมควรหรือเมื่อคู่ความฝ่ายใดฝ่ายหนึ่งร้องขอ ศาลอาจสั่งให้ทำการตรวจพิสูจน์ตามวรรคหนึ่งโดยไม่ต้องรอให้ถึงวันสืบพยานตามปกติก็ได้
ในกรณีที่การตรวจพิสูจน์ตามวรรคหนึ่งหรือวรรคสองจำเป็นต้องเก็บตัวอย่าง เลือด เนื้อเยื่อ ผิวหนัง เส้นผมหรือขน ปัสสาวะ อุจจาระ น้ำลายหรือสารคัดหลั่งอื่น สารพันธุกรรม หรือส่วนประกอบอื่นของร่างกาย หรือสิ่งที่อยู่ในร่างกายจากคู่ความหรือบุคคลใด ศาลอาจให้คู่ความหรือบุคคลใดรับการตรวจพิสูจน์จากแพทย์หรือผู้เชี่ยวชาญอื่นได้ แต่ต้องกระทำเพียงเท่าที่จำเป็นและสมควร ทั้งนี้ ถือเป็นสิทธิของคู่ความหรือบุคคลนั้นที่จะยินยอมหรือไม่ก็ได้
ในกรณีที่คู่ความฝ่ายใดไม่ยินยอมหรือไม่ให้ความร่วมมือต่อการตรวจพิสูจน์ตามวรรคหนึ่งหรือวรรคสอง หรือไม่ให้ความยินยอมหรือกระทำการขัดขวางมิให้บุคคลที่เกี่ยวข้องให้ความยินยอมต่อการตรวจเก็บตัวอย่างส่วนประกอบของร่างกายตามวรรคสาม ก็ให้สันนิษฐานไว้ก่อนว่าข้อเท็จจริงเป็นไปตามที่คู่ความฝ่ายตรงข้ามกล่าวอ้าง
ค่าใช้จ่ายในการตรวจพิสูจน์ตามมาตรานี้ ให้คู่ความฝ่ายที่ร้องขอให้ตรวจพิสูจน์เป็นผู้รับผิดชอบโดยให้ถือว่าเป็นส่วนหนึ่งของค่าฤชาธรรมเนียม แต่ถ้าผู้ร้องขอไม่สามารถเสียค่าใช้จ่ายได้หรือเป็นกรณีที่ศาลเป็นผู้สั่งให้ตรวจพิสูจน์ ให้ศาลสั่งจ่ายตามระเบียบที่คณะกรรมการบริหารศาลยุติธรรมกำหนด ส่วนความรับผิดในค่าใช้จ่ายดังกล่าวให้เป็นไปตามมาตรา ๑๕๘ หรือมาตรา ๑๖๑
English translation
Where it is necessary to use scientific evidence to prove any fact that is a material issue in the case, the court has power, when it thinks fit or when a party requests, to order the examination of any person, object, or document by scientific methods.
Where scientific evidence is able to prove a fact enabling the court to decide the case without taking other evidence, the court may, when it thinks fit or when a party requests, order the examination under paragraph one without waiting for the ordinary day of taking evidence.
Where the examination under paragraph one or paragraph two requires taking a sample of blood, tissue, skin, hair, urine, faeces, saliva or other secretions, genetic material, or another part of the body, or something in the body, from a party or any person, the court may have the party or person examined by a physician or other expert, but this shall be done only so far as necessary and reasonable, and it is the right of that party or person to consent or not.
Where a party does not consent to or does not cooperate with the examination under paragraph one or paragraph two, or does not give consent or obstructs the taking of body-part samples under paragraph three, it shall be presumed that the facts are as alleged by the opposing party.
The cost of the examination under this section shall be borne by the party requesting it and shall be deemed part of the court fees, but if the requester cannot pay the cost, or the court itself ordered the examination, the court shall pay it according to the regulations set by the Judicial Administration Commission, and liability for such cost shall be as provided in Section 158 or Section 161.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified. Always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
Section 128/1 authorises the court to use scientific evidence to prove a material fact, ordering examination of a person, object, or document by scientific methods either on the court's own motion or on a party's request. If the science could resolve the case without further evidence, the court may order testing even before the ordinary evidence day. Taking body samples such as blood, tissue, or genetic material is expressly subject to the person's consent, reflecting bodily integrity, but the provision supplies a powerful incentive: refusal or obstruction triggers a presumption that the facts are as the opposing party alleges. This makes the section central to paternity and inheritance disputes involving DNA. Costs count as part of the court fees, allocated under Sections 158 or 161, and the court may fund testing where the requester cannot pay or where the court ordered it.
Why this matters in practice
In paternity, filiation, and inheritance cases, DNA testing under Section 128/1 is often the decisive proof, and the refusal presumption gives real leverage: a party who blocks testing risks the court presuming the facts against them. If you seek testing, be ready to advance the cost, which counts as part of the court fees and is finally allocated between the parties. If a relative has died, courts accept alternative comparisons, for example testing another family member, so raise the option early. Because consent, sampling, and the presumption interact delicately, get family-law advice before you file; you can start with a family law consultation.
Supreme Court decisions interpreting this section
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 7073/2559 (2016)
DNA testing is scientific proof of a high order of reliability and is legally admissible under section 128/1, read with section 160 of the Act on Juvenile and Family Courts B.E. 2553. That a faculty of medicine sends its DNA report to the court without a witness attending to speak to it is no objection: the court may receive the report and weigh it with the other evidence under section 130. And where the putative father has died and cannot be tested, an alternative comparison - here establishing a grandfather-and-grandchild relationship with his own father - may properly be used and weighed with the rest of the evidence.
Two children applied for a declaration that they were the legitimate children of a deceased civil servant so as to claim his death gratuity. His widow objected, saying he had been under treatment for liver cancer, could not have fathered them, and had never registered a marriage with their mother or acknowledged them. The Supreme Court held DNA evidence admissible under section 128/1 with section 160 of the Juvenile and Family Courts Act; that the faculty of medicine report could be received and weighed with the other evidence under section 130 although no witness attended to speak to it; and that since the putative father had died, comparison with his own father was a proper alternative. That comparison showed a grandfather-and-grandchild relationship, and taken with evidence that the deceased had registered the births himself, let the children use his surname, brought them up and presented them to others as his own, it established that they were his children.
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 10842/2558 (2015)
The cost of genetic testing is part of the court fees under the final paragraph of Section 128/1, and the court must rule on it, ordinarily charging the losing party under Section 161.
The court held that the cost of genetic testing is part of the court fees under the final paragraph of Section 128/1, and that the court must order who bears the court fees whether or not a party asks, ordinarily charging the losing party under Section 161.
Curated decisions with case numbers verified against the Supreme Court database. English renderings are the firm's editorial translation for study.
Cited in 2 Supreme Court decisions (2015 to 2016)
Selected citing decisions
- Decision 7073/2559 (2016)
- Decision 10842/2558 (2015)
This list is selected automatically, weighted towards judgments that turn on this section rather than ones that merely recite it when passing sentence. It has not yet been reviewed by the firm.
Counted across the firm's corpus of 83,652 Supreme Court decisions, 1921 to 2026. The count is complete; the stated year range trims rare outliers so it describes where the citations actually sit. These figures are computed by us and are not official court statistics. How we count these, and what we measured
Frequently asked questions
Can a Thai court order a DNA test?
Yes. Under Section 128/1 the court may order scientific examination, including DNA testing, to prove a material fact, on its own motion or at a party's request.
What if someone refuses a DNA or blood sample?
Sampling requires consent, but Section 128/1 provides that if a party refuses or obstructs the test, the court presumes the facts are as the opposing party alleges.
Who pays for the scientific test?
The requesting party bears the cost, which is deemed part of the court fees. If that party cannot pay or the court ordered the test, the court funds it under the applicable regulations.
Related guides on ThaiLawOnline
Cite this section
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Plain citation
Civil Procedure Code, s. 128/1 (Thailand) -
Academic citation
Civil Procedure Code (Thailand), s. 128/1. ThaiLawOnline, https://www.thailawonline.com/thai-civil-procedure-code/section-128-1/ (accessed 1 September 2026). -
Thai citation
ป.วิ.พ. มาตรา 128/1 -
Permalink
https://www.thailawonline.com/thai-civil-procedure-code/section-128-1/ -
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<blockquote cite="https://www.thailawonline.com/thai-civil-procedure-code/section-128-1/"><p>Where it is necessary to use scientific evidence to prove any fact that is a material issue in the case, the court has power, when it thinks fit or when a party requests, to order the examination of any person, object, or document by scientific…</p><footer>Civil Procedure Code, s. 128/1 (Thailand): <a href="https://www.thailawonline.com/thai-civil-procedure-code/section-128-1/">ThaiLawOnline</a></footer></blockquote>
The Thai text is authoritative. The English is an unofficial translation by ThaiLawOnline, free to reuse with attribution.