The Constitution Court yesterday accepted a petition by a group of 134 Pheu Thai MPs seeking its ruling on the parliamentary status of Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva.
The petition followed Defence Minister Sukumpol Suwanatat's order to strip Mr Abhisit of his military rank as an acting sub-lieutenant after a Defence Ministry probe ruled that he dodged the military draft.
Mr Abhisit denied the accusation and said the move against him was politically motivated.
The charter court's nine judges voted 7-2 to accept the petition, court spokesman Pimol Thampitakpong said yesterday.
Mr Abhisit will be given 15 days to submit a defence statement to the court, Mr Pimol said.
In stripping Mr Abhisit of his military rank, the defence minister also retroactively nullified his appointment as a lecturer at Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy 25 years ago.
The dismissal takes effect from the date Mr Abhisit applied for the teaching job in 1987, following the ministry's finding that he used a fraudulent document in the application.
The teaching job exempted Mr Abhisit from military conscription.
The dismissal effectively eliminated Mr Abhisit's status as a Defence Ministry official.
Mr Abhisit has challenged the rank-stripping order with the Administrative Court, which has decided to hear the case.
Mr Abhisit yesterday said he was ready to explain himself to the court and hoped for a fair hearing.
Meanwhile, the Peace-Loving Thais group has launched a bid to dislodge ACM Sukumpol from his job.
The group, led by Kanchanee Walayasevi, yesterday handed a petition signed by 25,000 people to Senate Speaker Nikhom Wairatpanich seeking ACM Sukumpol's removal.
They accused ACM Sukumpol of malfeasance for stripping Mr Abhisit of his military rank. The group said the move violated Section 270 of the constitution and Section 157 of the Criminal Code.