Section 24 — Preliminary ruling on a question of law
Statutory text (Thai original)
เมื่อคู่ความฝ่ายใดยกปัญหาข้อกฎหมายขึ้นอ้าง ซึ่งถ้าหากได้วินิจฉัยให้เป็นคุณแก่ฝ่ายนั้นแล้ว จะไม่ต้องมีการพิจารณาคดีต่อไปอีก หรือไม่ต้องพิจารณาประเด็นสำคัญแห่งคดีบางข้อ หรือถึงแม้จะดำเนินการพิจารณาประเด็นข้อสำคัญแห่งคดีไป ก็ไม่ทำให้ได้ความชัดขึ้นอีกแล้ว เมื่อศาลเห็นสมควรหรือเมื่อคู่ความฝ่ายใดฝ่ายหนึ่งมีคำขอ ให้ศาลมีอำนาจที่จะมีคำสั่งให้มีผลว่าก่อนดำเนินการพิจารณาต่อไป ศาลจะได้พิจารณาปัญหาข้อกฎหมายเช่นว่านี้แล้ววินิจฉัยชี้ขาดเบื้องต้นในปัญหานั้นถ้าศาลเห็นว่าคำวินิจฉัยชี้ขาดเช่นว่านี้จะทำให้คดีเสร็จไปได้ทั้งเรื่องหรือเฉพาะแต่ประเด็นแห่งคดีบางข้อ ศาลจะวินิจฉัยชี้ขาดปัญหาที่กล่าวมาแล้วและพิพากษาคดีเรื่องนั้นหรือเฉพาะแต่ประเด็นที่เกี่ยวข้องไปโดยคำพิพากษาหรือคำสั่งฉบับเดียวกันก็ได้คำสั่งใด ๆ ของศาลที่ได้ออกตามมาตรานี้ ให้อุทธรณ์และฎีกาได้ตามที่บัญญัติไว้ในมาตรา ๒๒๗, ๒๒๘ และ ๒๔๗
English translation
Where a party raises a question of law which, if decided in that party's favour, would make it unnecessary to try the case any further, or unnecessary to try certain material issues of the case, or where, even if the material issues of the case were tried, this would not make the matter any clearer, then, when the court thinks fit or when either party makes a request, the court has the power to order that, before proceeding further with the trial, it will consider such question of law and give a preliminary ruling on it. If the court is of the opinion that such preliminary ruling will dispose of the whole case or of only certain issues of the case, the court may rule on the said question and give judgment on that case, or on only the issues concerned, by one and the same judgment or order. Any order of the court made under this Section may be appealed and further appealed as provided in Sections 227, 228 and 247.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified — always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
Section 24 gives the court a case-management tool to decide a threshold question of law before, or instead of, a full trial of the facts, where deciding it in the moving party's favour would dispose of the whole case or a material issue. It is commonly used to resolve questions such as standing, capacity to sue, or whether a required pre-suit step was taken. If the ruling ends the case, the court may combine the ruling and the judgment in one document. The Section expressly channels appeals and further appeals through Sections 227, 228 and 247, so the timing of any challenge follows those provisions.
Why this matters in practice
A Section 24 motion can be a fast, low-cost way to win, because a favourable ruling on a pure question of law can end the case without a full trial. It is worth considering early, for example where you can argue the other side lacks standing or missed a mandatory pre-suit step. Because the order is appealable under Sections 227, 228 and 247, plan for the possibility that a preliminary win may still go up on appeal before the case is truly over. Discuss the tactic with a Thai lawyer before filing.
Supreme Court decisions interpreting this section
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 4043/2567 (2024)
A court may give a preliminary ruling under Section 24 on a threshold legal question, such as whether an objector is an interested person entitled to seek removal of an estate administrator, and dispose of the matter without a full inquiry.
The first petitioner asked the trial court to rule preliminarily whether the objector was an interested person entitled to seek removal of the estate administrator. The trial court found it fit to give a preliminary ruling under Section 24, dispensed with the inquiry, and dismissed the objection, illustrating use of Section 24 to resolve a standing question.
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 5669/2567 (2024)
A trial court may dispense with evidence and rule preliminarily under Section 24 that a plaintiff who failed to follow a mandatory pre-suit procedure has no power to sue, and dismiss the case on that basis.
The trial court dispensed with the evidence of both sides and ruled preliminarily under Section 24 that the plaintiff had not followed the required pre-suit procedure under the Prime Minister's Office Regulation on resolving disputes between state agencies, so the plaintiff had no power to sue, and dismissed the case.
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 721/2565 (2022)
A party may move under Section 24 for a preliminary ruling on whether an intervenor has the right to file an intervention in the case, allowing the court to resolve that legal question before proceeding.
During the trial, the petitioner moved under Section 24 for a preliminary ruling on whether the intervenor had the right to file an intervention in the case. The trial court dismissed the intervenor's petition, showing Section 24 applied to test the intervenor's standing to join.
Curated decisions with case numbers verified against the Supreme Court database. English renderings are the firm's editorial translation for study.
Frequently asked questions
What is a preliminary ruling on a question of law?
Under Section 24, it is a decision the court makes on a legal question before a full trial, where deciding it could end the whole case or a material issue without hearing all the evidence.
When is Section 24 commonly used?
It is often used to test threshold issues such as whether a party has standing, capacity to sue, or whether a mandatory step before filing was completed.
Can a Section 24 order be appealed?
Yes. The Section expressly provides that orders made under it may be appealed and further appealed as provided in Sections 227, 228 and 247.