It said internal government regulations on leave for individual office holders were outside its jurisdiction.

Two lawyers representing the Law Society of Thailand, Nitithorn Lamlua and Nakhon Chompoochat, had argued that Thaksin had taken illegal leave of absence, which he referred to as a political break that would last until a new government took power.

They demanded that Thaksin reimburse pay and benefits.

The court ruled that the leave of absence could not be treated as an administrative dispute under its jurisdiction because the regulations governing it did not apply to the public.

Moreover, the court said the two lawyers could not be considered an aggrieved party who had been damaged by Thaksin's decision to take a leave of absence.