Section 72 — When a release warrant is issued
Statutory text (Thai original)
หมายปล่อยผู้ต้องหาหรือจำเลยซึ่งต้องขังอยู่ตามหมายศาล ให้ออกในกรณีดังต่อไปนี้
(๑) เมื่อศาลสั่งปล่อยชั่วคราว
(๒) เมื่อพนักงานอัยการหรือพนักงานสอบสวนขอให้ศาลปล่อย โดยเห็นว่าไม่จำเป็นต้องขังไว้ระหว่างสอบสวน
(๓) เมื่อพนักงานอัยการร้องต่อศาลว่าได้ยุติการสอบสวนแล้ว โดยคำสั่งไม่ฟ้องผู้ต้องหา
(๔) เมื่อพนักงานอัยการไม่ฟ้องผู้ต้องหาในเวลาที่ศาลกำหนด
(๕) เมื่อศาลไต่สวนมูลฟ้องแล้วเห็นว่าคดีไม่มีมูลและสั่งให้ยกฟ้อง เว้นแต่เมื่อโจทก์ร้องขอและศาลเห็นสมควรให้ขังจำเลยไว้ระหว่างอุทธรณ์ฎีกา
(๖) เมื่อโจทก์ถอนฟ้องหรือมีการยอมความในคดีความผิดต่อส่วนตัว หรือเมื่อศาลพิจารณาแล้วพิพากษาหรือมีคำสั่งให้ยกฟ้อง เว้นแต่ศาลเห็นสมควรให้ขังจำเลยไว้ระหว่างอุทธรณ์ฎีกา
(๗) เมื่อศาลพิพากษาให้ลงโทษจำเลยอย่างอื่นซึ่งไม่ใช่โทษประหารชีวิต จำคุกหรือให้อยู่ภายในเขตที่อันมีกำหนด ถ้าโทษอย่างอื่นนั้นเป็นโทษปรับเมื่อจำเลยได้เสียค่าปรับแล้ว หรือศาลให้ปล่อยชั่วคราวโดยมีกำหนดวันเพื่อให้จำเลยหาเงินค่าปรับมาชำระต่อศาล
English translation
A release warrant for an alleged offender or defendant held in custody under a court warrant shall be issued in the following cases: (1) when the court grants provisional release; (2) when the public prosecutor or the inquiry official asks the court to release, considering that detention during the investigation is unnecessary; (3) when the public prosecutor petitions the court that the investigation has been concluded with a non-prosecution order against the alleged offender; (4) when the public prosecutor does not file a charge against the alleged offender within the time fixed by the court; (5) when, after the preliminary hearing, the court finds that the case has no prima facie basis and orders the charge dismissed, except where the plaintiff requests and the court sees fit to detain the defendant pending appeal to the Court of Appeal or the Supreme Court; (6) when the plaintiff withdraws the charge, or there is a settlement in a compoundable offense, or when the court, after trial, renders a judgment or order dismissing the charge, except where the court sees fit to detain the defendant pending appeal to the Court of Appeal or the Supreme Court; (7) when the court sentences the defendant to a penalty other than death, imprisonment, or confinement within a specified area; and if that other penalty is a fine, once the defendant has paid the fine, or the court has granted provisional release for a fixed number of days so that the defendant may raise the money to pay the fine to the court.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified — always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
Section 72 is the counterpart to the detention power in Section 71, setting out the exhaustive list of events that trigger a release warrant for a person held under a court warrant. Its seven grounds track the life of a case: provisional release (bail), a prosecutor or investigator view that detention is unnecessary, a non-prosecution order, failure to charge within the court's deadline, dismissal at the preliminary hearing, dismissal or withdrawal or settlement of a compoundable offense at trial, and a non-custodial sentence. Two of the grounds carry an express carve-out allowing continued detention pending appeal where the court sees fit, and the fine ground allows a short window for the defendant to raise money to pay. The section works alongside Sections 73 to 75, which deal with release in the appeal and post-sentence contexts.
Why this matters in practice
For a detained person, these are the concrete off-ramps out of custody, and several of them do not depend on a bail application at all: a non-prosecution decision, the prosecutor missing the deadline to charge, or a dismissal all require release. Note the two exceptions where the court may keep a defendant in custody pending appeal even after a dismissal, and the fine ground, which can give a short grace period to find the money rather than serve imprisonment in lieu. Knowing which ground applies helps a family push for release at the right moment. If a relative is being held after a favorable ruling, it is worth confirming that the release warrant has issued; you can arrange an online consultation with a Thai lawyer to check.
Frequently asked questions
When must a court release a detained person under Section 72?
The court must issue a release warrant on bail, when the prosecutor or investigator says detention is unnecessary, on a non-prosecution order, when no charge is filed in time, when the case is dismissed at the preliminary hearing or after trial, or when the sentence is not death, imprisonment, or confinement.
Can a defendant still be detained after the case is dismissed?
Yes, in the two exceptions in Section 72(5) and (6): where the plaintiff requests, or the court sees fit, the defendant may be kept in custody pending appeal to the Court of Appeal or Supreme Court.
What happens if the sentence is only a fine?
Under Section 72(7), the court issues a release warrant once the fine is paid, or it may grant provisional release for a fixed number of days so the defendant can raise the money to pay the fine to the court.