Just a week after a group of activists met Home Minister Anil Deshmukh seeking withdrawal of FIRs filed against CAA-NRC-NPR protesters in the city and across the state, the Esplanade Court granted bail to 29 people including activists, lawyers, students, academicians, artists and civilians, in connection with the Gateway of India protest organised in January this year against the violence on students of Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi.

All of them appeared in court on Monday morning after being summoned by the police in connection with FIR no. 7/2020 lodged at Colaba police station. In the first hearing of the matter, the police filed a charge sheet against 36 people, 29 of whom were granted bail on furnishing a personal bond of R10,000 each. The next date for hearing in the matter is March 23, 2021.