Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra avoided pre-trial detention on charges of insulting the monarchy, according to Reuters.
The criminal court released him on bail on Tuesday. The Constitutional Court set 3 and 10 July respectively as the dates for the next hearings in two cases involving the opposition Move Forward party and incumbent Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin.
Srettha, who took office last year, faces dismissal over a cabinet appointment. The Move Forward party, which won last year’s elections but failed to form a government, may be dissolved for its campaign to amend the royal insult law.
Thaksin, Srettha, and Move Forward deny any wrongdoing.
The Constitutional Court also ruled that the ongoing selection process for the new upper house, which began earlier this month, was legal. The process made room for 200 new lawmakers who would take over the military-appointed Senate later this year.
The court cases risk deepening a long-running rift between conservatives and their opponents. The split sparked political instability and shook the market. Thailand‘s main stock index, which fell on Monday to its lowest level since November 2020, added more than 1 per cent on Tuesday morning before declining.
