Section 28: Consolidation and transfer of cases
Statutory text (Thai original)
ถ้ามีคดีหลายเรื่องค้างพิจารณาอยู่ในศาลเดียวกันหรือในศาลชั้นต้นสองศาลต่างกัน และคู่ความทั้งหมด หรือแต่บางฝ่ายเป็นคู่ความรายเดียวกัน กับทั้งการพิจารณาคดีเหล่านั้น ถ้าได้รวมกันแล้ว จะเป็นการสะดวก หากศาลนั้นหรือศาลหนึ่งศาลใดเหล่านั้นเห็นสมควรให้พิจารณาคดีรวมกัน หรือหากคู่ความทั้งหมดหรือแต่บางฝ่ายมีคำขอให้พิจารณาคดีรวมกันโดยแถลงไว้ในคำให้การหรือทำเป็นคำร้องไม่ว่าในกรณีใด ๆ ก่อนมีคำพิพากษา เมื่อศาลได้ฟังคู่ความทุกฝ่ายแห่งคดีนั้น ๆ แล้ว ถ้าศาลเป็นที่พอใจว่า คดีเหล่านั้นเกี่ยวเนื่องกันก็ให้ศาลมีอำนาจออกคำสั่งให้พิจารณาคดีเหล่านั้นรวมกันถ้าจะโอนคดีมาจากอีกศาลหนึ่งหรือโอนคดีไปยังอีกศาลหนึ่งที่มีเขตอำนาจเหนือคดีนั้น ศาลจะมีคำสั่งก่อนที่ได้รับความยินยอมของอีกศาลหนึ่งนั้นไม่ได้ แต่ถ้าศาลที่จะรับโอนคดีไม่ยินยอม ก็ให้ศาลที่จะโอนคดีนั้นส่งเรื่องให้อธิบดีผู้พิพากษาศาลอุทธรณ์ชี้ขาด คำสั่งของอธิบดีผู้พิพากษาศาลอุทธรณ์ให้เป็นดีที่สุด
English translation
If several cases are pending in the same court or in two different courts of first instance, and all or some of the parties are the same, and the trial of those cases, if consolidated, would be convenient, then, where that court or one of those courts thinks fit that the cases be tried together, or where all or some of the parties request that the cases be tried together, whether by so stating in the answer or by making a motion, at any time before judgment, the court, after hearing all parties in those cases, may, if satisfied that the cases are connected, order that those cases be tried together.
If a case is to be transferred from another court, or transferred to another court having jurisdiction over the case, the court may not make the order before obtaining the consent of that other court. But if the court to which the case is to be transferred does not consent, the court intending to transfer the case shall submit the matter to the Chief Judge of the Court of Appeal for a decision. The decision of the Chief Judge of the Court of Appeal shall be final.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified. Always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
Section 28 provides two related tools: consolidation of connected cases for a single trial, and transfer of a case between courts. Consolidation requires the same parties (in whole or in part), convenience, and a finding that the cases are connected, and the court must hear all parties first. It is distinct from merely binding files together physically, which does not make the cases one. Transfer requires the receiving court's consent; a deadlock is resolved by the Chief Judge of the Court of Appeal, whose decision is final. Where a court transfers a case without consulting the receiving court, the step is irregular under this Section.
Why this matters in practice
If you face several connected cases against the same opponent, asking the court to try them together can save time and cost, but you should state the request in your answer or by motion before judgment. Watch the difference between real consolidation and files simply bound together, because it affects what one judgment can decide. On transfers, remember the receiving court must consent, and any deadlock goes to the Chief Judge of the Court of Appeal for a final decision. A Thai lawyer can assess whether consolidation helps your strategy.
Supreme Court decisions interpreting this section
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 14001/2558 (2015)
An order merely to bind case files together is not an order to try the cases together under Section 28, paragraph one; the separate cases do not thereby become part of one another.
Although the parties and the underlying sale contract were the same, the trial court had only ordered the earlier red-number case files bound together with this case, not that the cases be tried together under Section 28, paragraph one. The earlier cases had already been finally decided, so they could not be treated as part of this case for purposes of setting aside execution.
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 1578/2551 (2008)
Transferring a case to another court without first consulting and obtaining the consent of the receiving court is not in accordance with Section 28, paragraph two.
The trial court set aside all proceedings and transferred the case to the Central Tax Court without inquiring of the receiving court, contrary to Section 28, paragraph two. After the file was returned because the Tax Court lacked jurisdiction, the trial court's continued proceedings, without revoking its earlier improper order, were held not in accordance with that provision.
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 4866/2541 (1998)
Where claims are of the same nature and involve the same parties and are connected, a plaintiff may sue on them in a single case, and if filed separately the claims could be consolidated under Section 28.
The Court held that where the claims shared the same nature, involved the same parties, and were connected, trying them together was convenient and the plaintiff could sue on them in a single case; had they been filed separately, consolidation under Section 28 would have been available. The Court separately addressed the plaintiff's combining of claims to reduce court fees.
Curated decisions with case numbers verified against the Supreme Court database. English renderings are the firm's editorial translation for study.
Cited in 18 Supreme Court decisions (1951 to 2015)
Selected citing decisions
- Decision 14001/2558 (2015)
- Decision 1998-1999/2554 (2011)
- Decision 4866/2541 (1998)
- Decision 4179/2539 (1996)
- Decision 1164/2531 (1988)
- Decision 5892/2530 (1987)
- Decision 1523-1524/2528 (1985)
- Decision 448/2517 (1974)
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.
Most often cited alongside
Sections that appear in the same judgments as this one most often. The figure is the number of decisions.
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 two related cases be tried together in Thailand?
Yes. Under Section 28, if the cases involve the same parties, are convenient to try together, and the court is satisfied they are connected, it may order them tried together, on its own or on a party's request before judgment.
Is binding case files together the same as consolidation?
No. Courts have held that merely ordering files to be bound together is not an order to try the cases together under Section 28, so the separate cases do not become one.
How is a case transferred to another court?
Under Section 28 the receiving court must consent before the transfer. If it refuses, the matter goes to the Chief Judge of the Court of Appeal, whose decision is final.
Related guides on ThaiLawOnline
Cite this section
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Plain citation
Civil Procedure Code, s. 28 (Thailand) -
Academic citation
Civil Procedure Code (Thailand), s. 28. ThaiLawOnline, https://www.thailawonline.com/thai-civil-procedure-code/section-28/ (accessed 11 August 2026). -
Thai citation
ป.วิ.พ. มาตรา 28 -
Permalink
https://www.thailawonline.com/thai-civil-procedure-code/section-28/ -
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<blockquote cite="https://www.thailawonline.com/thai-civil-procedure-code/section-28/"><p>If several cases are pending in the same court or in two different courts of first instance, and all or some of the parties are the same, and the trial of those cases, if consolidated, would be convenient, then, where that court or one of…</p><footer>Civil Procedure Code, s. 28 (Thailand) — <a href="https://www.thailawonline.com/thai-civil-procedure-code/section-28/">ThaiLawOnline</a></footer></blockquote>
The Thai text is authoritative. The English is an unofficial translation by ThaiLawOnline, free to reuse with attribution.