Section 225 — Appeal Rules Apply at Dika Stage
Statutory text (Thai original)
ให้นำบทบัญญัติว่าด้วยการพิจารณาและว่าด้วยคำพิพากษาและคำสั่งชั้นอุทธรณ์มาบังคับในชั้นฎีกาโดยอนุโลม เว้นแต่ห้ามมิให้ทำความเห็นแย้ง
English translation
The provisions concerning the trial and concerning the judgments and orders at the appeal court level shall apply mutatis mutandis at the Dika (Supreme Court) level, except that the making of a dissenting opinion is prohibited.
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 gap-filling clause for the Supreme Court stage, the counterpart to Section 215 for the Court of Appeal. It imports the appeal-stage procedure, which itself borrows the first-instance rules through Section 215, so the whole system runs on one shared set of provisions. Its single carve-out is that no dissenting opinion may be made at the Dika stage. In practice, Section 225 is most often cited together with Section 195 paragraph two to confirm that the Supreme Court may raise a public-order question of law on its own even when the parties did not, and together with Section 212 to preserve the rule against increasing a defendant's penalty on the defendant's own challenge.
Why this matters in practice
For a litigant, Section 225 explains why Supreme Court judgments cite appeal-stage and first-instance sections in combination: those rules carry over to the Dika stage. Two practical effects matter most. First, the Supreme Court can correct a public-order legal error on its own, so a favorable point of law may be reached even if you did not raise it. Second, the no-worse-off protection under Section 212 continues, so a defendant who alone brings a Dika generally cannot have the penalty increased. The one difference from the appeal stage is that no dissent is recorded.
Supreme Court decisions interpreting this section
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 875/2568 (2025)
A point of law concerning public order, such as applying the more favorable of an old and a new law, may be raised by the Supreme Court on its own under Section 195 paragraph two via Section 225, even if the parties did not appeal it.
The case required blending the favorable parts of the old and new narcotics penalty laws. The Supreme Court held this was a public-order question of law it could raise on its own under Section 195 paragraph two with Section 225, and it re-determined the penalty, extending the benefit to a co-defendant already serving the sentence.
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 2585/2568 (2025)
Where the Court of Appeal failed to decide whether the defendant committed the offense before adjusting the sentence, that omission is a public-order defect the Supreme Court may raise on its own under Section 195 paragraph two via Section 225, and remand the case.
The Court of Appeal reduced the first defendant's sentence without first deciding whether he was guilty. The Supreme Court held this a public-order defect it could raise on its own under Section 195 paragraph two with Section 225, set aside the appeal judgment, and remanded for a fresh decision.
Curated decisions with case numbers verified against the Supreme Court database. English renderings are the firm's editorial translation for study.
Frequently asked questions
Do the appeal court procedures apply at the Supreme Court?
Yes. Under Section 225, the appeal-stage rules on trial, judgments, and orders apply at the Dika stage with necessary adjustments, except that no dissenting opinion may be recorded.
Can the Supreme Court raise a legal issue the parties did not argue?
Yes. Through Section 225 with Section 195 paragraph two, the Supreme Court may raise a public-order question of law on its own even if no party raised it.