MUMBAI, Nov. 3 -- A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court on Monday rejected the bail applications of a serving Central GST inspector and a law student arrested in a nationwide bank recruitment impersonation racket, in which 46 impersonators allegedly appeared on behalf of 135 candidates in examinations conducted by the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS). The two accused, Rajeev Ranjan, 42, a GST inspector posted in Kolkata, and Abhishek Kumar alias Roshan, 32, were arrested on October 8. The CBI alleged that Ranjan impersonated four candidates at various stages of the recruitment process, helping them secure jobs in UCO Bank, Bihar Gramin Bank and Union Bank of India. According to the prosecution, Ranjan appeared in place of Manish Kumar, Amit Kumar, Rishabh Rai and Karan Kartik in preliminary and main examinations, as well as during document verification. He also appeared for two of these candidates in their interviews. To establish his alleged involvement, the CBI relied on photographs, thumb impressions and iris scans provided by IBPS. The agency told the court that Ranjan's iris scan matched that of the person who appeared on behalf of all four candidates. Kumar, meanwhile, was accused of impersonating Harimohan Meena during the preliminary and main examinations, as well as document verification. Meena subsequently secured a job with Baroda Rajasthan Kshetriya Gramin Bank. The CBI relied on a matching iris scan to establish Kumar's alleged involvement. Both accused challenged the legality of their arrests and sought bail, arguing that they had cooperated with the investigation and that the evidence was already in the agency's possession. Ranjan also contended that prior approval under the Prevention of Corruption Act was necessary before investigating him, as he was a government employee. Kumar, meanwhile, argued that his continued incarceration could cost him an academic year, as his final-year law examinations were approaching. The defence had also argued that the FIR was a third case arising from substantially the same allegations of examination impersonation. The court rejected this contention, noting that the earlier cases registered by the CBI in Bhopal concerned candidates recruited by Madhya Pradesh Gramin Bank, while the present case covered 135 candidates appointed in banks across several states. It held that the wider conspiracy justified a separate investigation. Rejecting their pleas, special judge P B Ghuge noted that the investigation covered 22 examinations conducted between 2020 and 2024, involving 135 candidates who allegedly secured jobs through impersonation. The court observed that the CBI was still probing the involvement of other impersonators, selected candidates, public servants and private entities. "The applicant does not deserve to be enlarged on bail at this stage of investigation," the judge said while rejecting Ranjan's application, citing the gravity of the allegations, the stage of the investigation and the role attributed to him. The court took a similar view while dismissing Kumar's plea. The CBI registered the case following a complaint by IBPS, which flagged suspected impersonation after analysing recruitment examinations conducted between 2020 and 2024. The institute had identified 257 suspected candidates, 180 of whom were already employed with public sector and regional rural banks....