Section 248 — Panel that decides leave to dika
Statutory text (Thai original)
คำร้องตามมาตรา ๒๔๗ ให้พิจารณาและวินิจฉัยโดยองค์คณะผู้พิพากษาที่ประธานศาลฎีกาแต่งตั้ง ซึ่งประกอบด้วยรองประธานศาลฎีกาและผู้พิพากษาในศาลฎีกาซึ่งดำรงตำแหน่งไม่ต่ำกว่าผู้พิพากษาศาลฎีกาอีกอย่างน้อยสามคน
การวินิจฉัยให้เป็นไปตามเสียงข้างมาก ถ้าคะแนนเสียงเท่ากันให้บังคับตามความเห็นของฝ่ายที่เห็นควรอนุญาตให้ฎีกา
English translation
An application under Section 247 shall be considered and decided by a panel of judges appointed by the President of the Supreme Court, consisting of a Vice-President of the Supreme Court and at least three other judges of the Supreme Court holding a position not lower than that of a judge of the Supreme Court.
The decision shall be made by a majority of votes. If the votes are equal, the view of the side that is in favour of granting leave to dika shall prevail.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified — always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
Section 248 sets the decision-making body and voting rule for leave applications under Section 247. The panel is deliberately senior, led by a Vice-President of the Supreme Court and made up of at least three further judges of Supreme Court rank, reflecting the importance of the gatekeeping decision. The tie-breaker is significant: where opinion is evenly split, the section resolves the deadlock in favour of the applicant, so a genuine doubt is decided by allowing the dika to proceed. This is the current text under the leave-based system introduced by the 2015 amendment; the earlier Section 248 dealt with monetary thresholds barring a dika on the facts, which the reform replaced.
Why this matters in practice
For a litigant, the useful point is that the tie-breaker favours the applicant: if the panel is evenly divided, leave is granted. That makes it worth presenting a leave application that gives the panel a clear, defensible reason to see the case as important, because even a split view can carry you through. This is a technical, high-stakes filing where experienced choice of counsel matters.
Frequently asked questions
Who decides whether leave to dika is granted?
Under Section 248 a panel appointed by the President of the Supreme Court, made up of a Vice-President and at least three other senior Supreme Court judges, decides the application.
What happens if the panel's vote is tied?
The tie is broken in favour of granting leave to dika, so an evenly split panel allows the dika to proceed.