Section 172 — Open Trial and Arraignment of the Defendant
Statutory text (Thai original)
การพิจารณาและสืบพยานในศาล ให้ทำโดยเปิดเผยต่อหน้าจำเลย เว้นแต่บัญญัติไว้เป็นอย่างอื่นเมื่อโจทก์หรือทนายโจทก์และจำเลยมาอยู่ต่อหน้าศาลแล้ว และศาลเชื่อว่าเป็นจำเลยจริง ให้อ่านและอธิบายฟ้องให้จำเลยฟัง และถามว่าได้กระทำความผิดจริงหรือไม่ จะให้การต่อสู้อย่างไรบ้าง คำให้การของจำเลยให้จดไว้ ถ้าจำเลยไม่ยอมให้การ ก็ให้ศาลจดรายงานไว้และดำเนินการพิจารณาต่อไปในการสืบพยาน เมื่อได้พิเคราะห์ถึงเพศ อายุ ฐานะ สุขภาพอนามัย ภาวะแห่งจิตของพยานหรือความเกรงกลัวที่พยานมีต่อจำเลยแล้ว จะดำเนินการโดยไม่ให้พยานเผชิญหน้าโดยตรงกับจำเลยก็ได้ซึ่งอาจกระทำโดยการใช้โทรทัศน์วงจรปิด สื่ออิเล็กทรอนิกส์ หรือวิธีอื่นตามที่กำหนดในข้อบังคับของประธานศาลฎีกา และจะให้สอบถามผ่านนักจิตวิทยา นักสังคมสงเคราะห์ หรือบุคคลอื่นที่พยานไว้วางใจด้วยก็ได้ ในการสืบพยาน ให้มีการบันทึกคำเบิกความพยานโดยใช้วิธีการบันทึกลงในวัสดุ ซึ่งสามารถถ่ายทอดออกเป็นภาพและเสียงซึ่งสามารถตรวจสอบถึงความถูกต้องของการบันทึกได้ และให้ศาลอุทธรณ์ ศาลฎีกาใช้การบันทึกดังกล่าวประกอบการพิจารณาคดีด้วย ทั้งนี้ ตามหลักเกณฑ์ วิธีการและเงื่อนไขที่กำหนดในข้อบังคับของประธานศาลฎีกา ข้อบังคับของประธานศาลฎีกาตามวรรคสามและวรรคสี่ เมื่อได้รับความเห็นชอบจากที่ประชุมใหญ่ของศาลฎีกาและประกาศในราชกิจจานุเบกษาแล้วให้ใช้บังคับได้
English translation
The trial and the taking of evidence in court shall be conducted openly in the presence of the defendant, unless otherwise provided. When the prosecutor or the prosecutor's counsel and the defendant are present before the court, and the court believes the person to be the defendant, the charge shall be read and explained to the defendant, and the defendant shall be asked whether the offense was in fact committed and how the defendant will contest it. The defendant's plea shall be recorded; if the defendant refuses to plead, the court shall so record and proceed with the trial. In taking evidence, having regard to the sex, age, status, health, mental condition of the witness, or the fear the witness has of the defendant, the court may proceed so that the witness does not directly confront the defendant, which may be done by using closed-circuit television, electronic media, or another method prescribed in the regulations of the President of the Supreme Court, and questioning may be conducted through a psychologist, a social worker, or another person the witness trusts. In taking evidence, the testimony of witnesses shall be recorded on a medium capable of reproducing image and sound whose accuracy can be verified, and the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court shall use such recording in support of their consideration of the case, all in accordance with the criteria, methods, and conditions prescribed in the regulations of the President of the Supreme Court. The regulations of the President of the Supreme Court under paragraphs three and four, once approved by the plenary session of the Supreme Court and published in the Government Gazette, shall come into force.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified — always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
This is the foundational trial provision opening the Title on the trial, and it fixes three pillars: open proceedings in the defendant's presence, the arraignment (reading and explaining the charge and taking the plea), and modern safeguards for taking evidence. Paragraph two, on arraignment, has been treated by the courts as mandatory: the court must read and explain the charge, ask how the defendant pleads, record the plea, and, if the defendant refuses to plead, note this and proceed. Later paragraphs, added by amendment, allow non-confrontational examination of vulnerable witnesses through closed-circuit television, electronic media, or trusted intermediaries, and require image-and-sound recording of testimony for use on appeal, all governed by regulations of the President of the Supreme Court. It connects forward to Section 172 bis on trial in absentia, which may proceed only after the paragraph-two arraignment has been done.
Why this matters in practice
For a defendant, the arraignment is a decisive moment: the court must read and explain the charge and record the plea, and skipping this step is a serious procedural defect that can lead to the case being sent back. The plea entered here, guilty or not guilty, shapes the entire trial, so a defendant should understand the charge fully before answering. Vulnerable witnesses and children can testify without directly facing the defendant, and testimony is recorded for the higher courts. Anyone facing arraignment should be clear on the accusation first, which an online consultation with a Thai lawyer can help with.
Supreme Court decisions interpreting this section
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 8858/2559 (2016)
Under Section 172 paragraph two, when the prosecutor or counsel and the defendant are present and the court believes the person to be the defendant, the court has a duty to read and explain the charge, ask how the defendant pleads, record the plea, and, if the defendant refuses to plead, so record and proceed.
The Supreme Court set out the text of Section 172 paragraph two and confirmed that the trial court must read and explain the charge to the defendant and ask whether the offense was committed. The point went to the orderly-conduct of proceedings, which the appeal court could raise on its own under Section 195 paragraph two.
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 10073/2558 (2015)
Section 172 paragraph two imposes a duty on the trial court to read and explain the charge to the defendant and take the plea before proceeding, and a defect in this step bears on the validity of the proceedings.
In reviewing a dismissal of a possession-for-sale count, the Supreme Court quoted Section 172 paragraph two in full and reaffirmed that the trial court must read and explain the charge and ask the defendant how the offense is contested, recording the plea and, if none is given, noting it before proceeding.
Curated decisions with case numbers verified against the Supreme Court database. English renderings are the firm's editorial translation for study.
Frequently asked questions
Must the court read and explain the charge before taking a plea?
Yes. Section 172 paragraph two requires the court, once satisfied the person is the defendant, to read and explain the charge and ask how the defendant pleads, then record the plea. Courts treat this as mandatory.
Can a witness avoid facing the defendant in court?
Yes. Under Section 172, considering the witness's age, health, mental condition, or fear of the defendant, the court may use closed-circuit television, electronic media, or a trusted intermediary so the witness does not directly confront the defendant.