Section 223 — Trial Court Screens and Forwards Dika
Statutory text (Thai original)
ให้เป็นหน้าที่ศาลชั้นต้นตรวจฎีกาว่าควรจะรับส่งขึ้นไปยังศาลฎีกาหรือไม่ตามบทบัญญัติแห่งประมวลกฎหมายนี้ ถ้าเห็นว่าไม่ควรรับ ให้จดเหตุผลไว้ในคำสั่งของศาลนั้นโดยชัดเจน
English translation
It shall be the duty of the Court of First Instance to examine a Dika to determine whether it should be accepted and forwarded to the Supreme Court under the provisions of this Code. If it considers that the Dika should not be accepted, it shall clearly record the reasons in its order.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified — always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
This provision assigns the initial gatekeeping of a Dika to the Court of First Instance, consistent with Section 216 which requires the Dika to be filed there. The court checks whether the Dika satisfies the code, including the fact-question bars in Sections 218 to 220, standing, form, and time limits, and either forwards it or refuses it. A refusal must state clear reasons, which is what makes the refusal reviewable and gives the appellant a basis to challenge it. If the court is unsure whether to accept, the code does not permit it to shift the decision to the Supreme Court; the duty to rule is its own, and improperly passing the file up is itself unlawful.
Why this matters in practice
Because the trial court screens your Dika first, its refusal order is important: if reasons are missing or unclear, that is a ground to challenge the refusal by appealing the order to the Supreme Court under Section 224. Note that the trial court cannot dodge its duty by simply forwarding an uncertain Dika to the Supreme Court to decide; that is improper, though the Supreme Court may still resolve the matter to avoid remand. Read the refusal order carefully and act within the short window, because the next step, a petition against the refusal, has its own fifteen-day deadline.
Supreme Court decisions interpreting this section
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 646/2565 (2022)
The Court of First Instance may refuse a Dika under Section 223 and record its reasons, but a point of law concerning public order may be raised even if not argued in the lower courts, so such a point should be accepted for consideration.
The Court of First Instance refused part of the defendant's Dika under Section 223, reasoning that the point had not been raised below. On the defendant's appeal, the Supreme Court held the point was a public-order question of law that could be raised under Section 195 paragraph two with Section 225, and ordered that part accepted.
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 2483/2561 (2018)
Under Section 223 the Court of First Instance may examine a Dika and refuse it where the person who signed and filed it is not a party under Section 2(15) and so has no right to file under Section 216.
The Court of First Instance examined the Dika and refused it under Section 223 because the person who signed and filed it was not a party within Section 2(15) and had no right to file a Dika under Section 216, illustrating the trial court's screening duty.
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 14756/2558 (2015)
Deciding whether to accept or reject a Dika is the duty of the Court of First Instance under Section 223; forwarding the Dika to the Supreme Court to rule instead is improper.
In a narcotics case, the defendant filed a Dika without the required leave application, and the trial court sent it to the Supreme Court to decide. The Supreme Court held that ruling on acceptance was the trial court's duty under Section 223 via the Narcotics Cases Procedure Act, so forwarding it up was improper.
Curated decisions with case numbers verified against the Supreme Court database. English renderings are the firm's editorial translation for study.
Frequently asked questions
Which court decides whether my Dika goes up to the Supreme Court?
The Court of First Instance, under Section 223. It examines whether the Dika complies with the code and either forwards it or refuses it, and a refusal must state clear reasons.
Can the trial court just send an uncertain Dika to the Supreme Court to decide?
No. Deciding whether to accept or reject a Dika is the trial court's own duty under Section 223. Forwarding it to the Supreme Court to rule instead is improper.