India, Aug. 27 -- The Mumbai police on Wednesday permitted Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil to hold a protest meeting at the city's Azad Maidan on August 29, but imposed a 5,000 cap on the number of people who could be present in the designated area, according to people familiar with the matter.

The approval from Mumbai's Azad Maidan police station came a day after the Bombay high court underscored that the Maratha quota activist could not hold his protest without prior permission from the police.

Jarange-Patil, who started his 400km journey from Jalna district's Anatarwali Sarati on Wednesday morning, long before the police decision was communicated, has announced an indefinite hunger strike to press his demand for the inclus...