Section 219 — Fact-Question Dika Bar on Low Sentences
Statutory text (Thai original)
ในคดีที่ศาลชั้นต้นพิพากษาให้ลงโทษจำคุกจำเลยไม่เกินสองปีหรือปรับไม่เกินสี่หมื่นบาท
หรือทั้งจำทั้งปรับ ถ้าศาลอุทธรณ์ยังคงลงโทษจำเลยไม่เกินกำหนดที่ว่ามานี้ห้ามมิให้คู่ความฎีกาในปัญหาข้อเท็จจริง
แต่ข้อห้ามนี้มิให้ใช้แก่จำเลยในกรณีที่ศาลอุทธรณ์พิพากษาแก้ไขมากและเพิ่มเติมโทษจำเลย
English translation
In a case in which the Court of First Instance imposes imprisonment on the defendant not exceeding two years or a fine not exceeding forty thousand baht, or both imprisonment and fine, if the Court of Appeal still imposes a penalty on the defendant not exceeding the limits stated above, the parties are prohibited from filing a Dika on a question of fact. This prohibition does not apply to the defendant in a case in which the Court of Appeal amends the judgment substantially and increases the defendant's penalty.
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 low-penalty fact-question filter, complementing the affirmance-based bar in Section 218. Here the trigger is the level of penalty at first instance (two years imprisonment or a 40,000 baht fine) combined with the Court of Appeal keeping the defendant within those limits. The provision protects a defendant in one situation only: where the Court of Appeal both amends substantially and increases the penalty, the defendant regains the right to a fact-question Dika. Like Section 218, the bar can be overcome by certification under Section 221; note however that the neighbouring bar in Section 219 ter (detention-related sentences) is not among those a judge may certify around.
Why this matters in practice
For minor cases this bar closes most Supreme Court fact challenges, so the practical question is whether the Court of Appeal amended substantially and increased the penalty, which restores the defendant's fact-question Dika. Be precise about the difference between Section 219 and the related bar in Section 219 ter: a judge may certify around Section 219 but not around Section 219 ter. If you are unsure which bar applies to your sentence, get a focused read before spending the one-month window: our legal fees page explains how a scoped opinion works.
Supreme Court decisions interpreting this section
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 3716/2567 (2024)
A case falling under the Section 219 fact-question bar is not a case requiring leave to appeal from the Supreme Court; the two routes are distinct, and the correct path is a request for a judge's certification, not an application for the Supreme Court's leave.
The joined plaintiff filed a Dika together with an application for leave to appeal to the Supreme Court. The Court of First Instance noted the case was one barred from fact-question Dika under Section 219, not a leave-of-court case, and allowed time to correct the filing, illustrating that Section 219 cases follow the judge-certification route.
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 3277/2566 (2023)
Where neither the Court of First Instance nor the appeal court imposed imprisonment exceeding two years, a fact-question Dika is barred under Section 219 (applied through the Juvenile and Family Court Act), and disputing the evidence is a fact question.
In a juvenile case where the sentence did not exceed two years, the defendant's Dika arguing the evidence did not prove the offense was a fact question barred under Section 219 read with the Juvenile and Family Court Procedure Act Section 182/1.
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 penalty levels trigger the Section 219 bar?
Imprisonment of not more than two years or a fine of not more than 40,000 baht at first instance, where the Court of Appeal keeps the defendant within those limits. In that situation neither party may file a fact-question Dika.
When can a defendant still appeal on the facts despite Section 219?
When the Court of Appeal amends the judgment substantially and increases the defendant's penalty, the bar does not apply to the defendant, who may then file a fact-question Dika.