Section 228 — Interim orders that may be appealed
Statutory text (Thai original)
ก่อนศาลชี้ขาดตัดสินคดี ถ้าศาลมีคำสั่งอย่างใดอย่างหนึ่งดังต่อไปนี้ คือ
(๑) ให้กักขัง หรือปรับไหม หรือจำขัง ผู้ใด ตามประมวลกฎหมายนี้
(๒) มีคำสั่งอันเกี่ยวด้วยคำขอเพื่อคุ้มครองประโยชน์ของคู่ความในระหว่างการพิจารณา หรือมีคำสั่งอันเกี่ยวด้วยคำขอเพื่อจะบังคับคดีตามคำพิพากษาต่อไป หรือ
(๓) ไม่รับหรือคืนคำคู่ความตามมาตรา ๑๘ หรือวินิจฉัยชี้ขาดเบื้องต้นตามมาตรา ๒๔ ซึ่งมิได้ทำให้คดีเสร็จไปทั้งเรื่อง หากเสร็จไปเฉพาะแต่ประเด็นบางข้อคำสั่งเช่นว่านี้ คู่ความย่อมอุทธรณ์ได้ภายในกำหนดหนึ่งเดือน นับแต่วันมีคำสั่งเป็นต้นไปแม้ถึงว่าจะมีอุทธรณ์ในระหว่างพิจารณา ให้ศาลดำเนินคดีต่อไป และมีคำพิพากษาหรือคำสั่งชี้ขาดตัดสินคดีนั้น แต่ถ้าในระหว่างพิจารณา คู่ความอุทธรณ์คำสั่งชนิดที่ระบุไว้ในอนุมาตรา
(๓) ถ้าศาลอุทธรณ์เห็นว่า การกลับหรือแก้ไขคำสั่งที่คู่ความอุทธรณ์นั้น จะเป็นการวินิจฉัยชี้ขาดคดี หรือวินิจฉัยชี้ขาดประเด็นข้อใดที่ศาลล่างมิได้วินิจฉัยไว้ ให้ศาลอุทธรณ์มีอำนาจทำคำสั่งให้ศาลล่างงดการพิจารณาไว้ในระหว่างอุทธรณ์ หรืองดการวินิจฉัยคดีไว้จนกว่าศาลอุทธรณ์จะได้วินิจฉัยชี้ขาดอุทธรณ์นั้นถ้าคู่ความมิได้อุทธรณ์คำสั่งในระหว่างพิจารณาตามที่บัญญัติไว้ในมาตรานี้ ก็ให้อุทธรณ์ได้ในเมื่อศาลพิพากษาคดีแล้วตามความในมาตรา ๒๒๓
English translation
Before the court renders its decision determining the case, if the court makes any of the following orders, namely:
(1) an order to detain, fine, or imprison any person under this Code;
(2) an order relating to an application for protection of a party's interests during the course of the trial, or an order relating to an application for the subsequent enforcement of the judgment; or
(3) an order refusing to accept or returning a pleading under Section 18, or a preliminary ruling under Section 24 that does not dispose of the entire case but disposes of only certain issues,
a party may appeal against such an order within one month from the date the order is made. Even where an appeal is lodged during the course of the trial, the court shall continue with the case and render its judgment or decision determining the case. However, where, during the trial, a party appeals against an order of the kind specified in subsection (3), if the appellate court is of the opinion that reversing or amending the appealed order would amount to deciding the case, or deciding an issue that the lower court has not decided, the appellate court shall have power to order the lower court to stay the trial during the appeal, or to stay its decision of the case until the appellate court has decided the appeal. If a party does not appeal against an order made during the trial as provided in this Section, the party may appeal after the court has given judgment, in accordance with Section 223.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified — always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
Section 228 is the counterpart to Section 227. It carves out three categories of pre-judgment orders that are directly appealable within one month, forming an exception to the general prohibition in Section 226 against appealing orders made during trial. Subsection (3) mirrors Section 227 but covers rulings that end only part of the case. The provision keeps the trial moving: an appeal does not by itself halt proceedings, except that for subsection (3) orders the appellate court has discretion to stay the lower court where a reversal would decide the case or an undecided issue. A party who does not appeal an interim order at this stage does not lose the point; it can still be raised on appeal from the final judgment under Section 223.
Why this matters in practice
Watch the one-month clock: for these interim orders it runs from the date the order is made, not from the final judgment. Getting the classification right matters, because an order that is not one of the three categories listed here is an ordinary interim order barred by Section 226(1), and to preserve any appeal you must record a written objection under Section 226(2). Category (2) is especially relevant in enforcement and asset-protection disputes, where an interlocutory order can have immediate financial consequences. If you face an order you think ends part of your case or affects enforcement, seek advice quickly.
Supreme Court decisions interpreting this section
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 874/2561 (2018)
Where a party appeals within one month against an order of the kind specified in Section 228(2) and (3), and the trial court lawfully accepts the appeal and the objection, the order and the trial court's proceedings must be stayed.
The defendant appealed an order within the one-month period and also filed objections. The Supreme Court treated the appeal as one against orders under Section 228(2) and (3), so the challenged order and the related proceedings had to be stayed pending the appeal.
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 3748/2565 (2022)
An order revoking the acceptance of a claim is not an order refusing or returning a pleading under Section 18 that may be appealed under Section 228. It is an ordinary interim order barred by Section 226(1), so the party must record a written objection to preserve the right to appeal.
The trial court revoked its earlier acceptance of the claimant's motion. The Supreme Court held this was not a Section 18 refusal or return of a pleading appealable under Section 228, but an ordinary interim order barred by Section 226(1), which required a recorded objection under Section 226(2).
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 4474/2558 (2015)
An order dismissing a motion that does not end the case is an interim order and is not among the orders listed in Sections 227 and 228, so it may not be appealed during the trial and is barred under Section 226(1).
The trial court dismissed the defendant's motions to reopen and to share in proceeds. The Supreme Court held these were interim orders, not among the Section 227 or 228 orders, so the appeal was barred under Section 226(1) and the appellate proceedings taken on it were improper.
Curated decisions with case numbers verified against the Supreme Court database. English renderings are the firm's editorial translation for study.
Frequently asked questions
Which interim orders can I appeal before final judgment?
Section 228 allows appeal of three types: orders of detention, fine or imprisonment; orders on applications to protect a party's interests or to enforce the judgment; and Section 18 or Section 24 rulings that dispose of only some issues. The deadline is one month from the order.
Does appealing an interim order stop the trial?
Not automatically. The court continues and gives judgment. Only for a subsection (3) order can the appellate court order the lower court to stay proceedings, and only where reversing the order would decide the case or an undecided issue.
What if I do not appeal an interim order now?
You do not lose the point. Under Section 228 read with Section 223, you may still raise it when you appeal the final judgment, provided the order was one that could be appealed under this Section.