The Bhumjaithai Party has sued former politician and whistleblower Chuvit Kamolvisit for allegedly damaging party candidates nationwide and demanding 100 million in damages.
The party also sought to bar the former massage parlour tycoon from its final election campaign rally on Friday in Bangkok and related events until Election Day on Sunday.
However, the Civil Court on Thursday dismissed a request for a temporary injunction, saying Section 25 of the Constitution stipulates that people have the right to do anything as long as they do not infringe on the rights of others. The charter also endorses freedom of expression, travel and peaceful gatherings.
If someone attending an event created chaos that affected the freedom or safety of others, he would face criminal action, so there was no reason to issue an injunction, said the court.
The court has accepted the broader lawsuit for consideration and will begin witness examination on July 3.
Lawyers Natchanikarn Ketkhamkhwa and Pichai Iem-on claim in the suit, authorised by Bhumjaithai executive Supachai Jaisamut, that Mr Chuvit has undermined the popularity of the party in the run-up to the election.
Mr Chuvit has declared war against the Bhumjaithai Party’s cannabis policy and encouraged voters to join his crusade against allowing recreational use of the plant.
Bhumjaithai has insisted that it supports medicinal use of cannabis and opposes recreational use. But the latter has been an unintended consequence of its push to remove the plant from the national list of controlled drugs before a law could be passed to clarify what is and isn’t allowed.
Mr Pichai said the party was suing Mr Chuvit because he had infringed on the rights of the party and intimidated its members and supporters near the Din Daeng police station in Bangkok on May 2. The amount of damages was based on the campaign budgets of party candidates in 400 constituencies nationwide, at 1.9 million baht per constituency, said the lawyer.
Mr Pichai said earlier that Mr Chuvit was free to hold press conferences or give media interviews as he had the right to do under the framework of the law. But the party wanted him not to stage any moves against it near its rally venues in order to avoid confrontation, he said.
A court in April granted a Bhumjaithai request for a temporary injunction that barred Mr Chuvit from criticising its cannabis policy, a decision that concerned free-speech advocates. It was quickly overturned, with the Civil Court saying that the public had a right to hear about the benefits and potential risks of cannabis.
Mr Chuvit has also been an outspoken critic of the Chidchob family, the main power behind Bhumjaithai. He has also targeted suspended Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob, whom he has accused of irregularities. He has insisted that he is acting alone and not pursuing anyone else’s political agenda.
