PUBLISHED : 19 Jun 2024 at 11:50
A Constitutional Court ruling on the Civil Code will enable wives to sue their husbands’ lovers, whether male or female.
The Constitutional Court ruled on Tuesday that Section 1523 of the Civil Code violated Section 27 of the constitution, which protects the rights and liberty of Thais regardless of sex.
The court ordered enforcement of the ruling within 360 days.
Section 1523 of the Civil Code stipulates that husbands can sue their wives’ lovers and wives can sue other women who show in public an adulterous relationship with their husband.
Keirov Kritteeranon, secretary-general of the Office of the Ombudsman, said the Ombudsman had earlier asked the court to rule on the legality of Section 1523 because it enabled wives to sue only female lovers.
Husbands can currently sue wives’ lovers regardless of their sex, and there was no requirement for any public expression of an adulterous relationship, he said.
Tuesday’s Constitutional Court order will correct this imbalance, once it is enforced.