Including 23-year-old monk student Sonam Tshering, 15 persons convicted of tobacco smuggling have been released this month following a royal pardon.
Tshering was arrested and detained on January 24 last year after he was caught with 48 packets of chewing tobacco that he purchased from India.
Later in May, a kangaroo court convicted him and passed a verdict slapping him a jail term of 3 years, and became the first tobacco criminal.
Gravity of punishment given to Tshering, who pleaded for his ignorance of tobacco law, received widespread criticism.
Even a Facebook revolt group consisting over 2500 members advocated for his release.
The Parliament had approved tobacco amendment proposal as an urgent bill last month.
Release of tobacco criminals came through a royal prerogative that allows the King to grant pardon to prisoners, assured by the so-called democratic constitution of the country under Article 2, Section 16 (C).
