Now since we know “beyond reasonable doubt” that nothing stirs passion like Bollywood, let me begin with a classic Bollywood one-liner: Doctor bhagwan ka roop hota hai. A rough English translation of which would read as, doctors are god’s representatives on earth.

Now that I hopefully have your attention, let me break this to you: the next generation of doctors from the cream of India’s medical institutes could be a far cry from being godly avatars. Instead, they could be frauds who would have cheated their way to the operation theatre.

You are an ardent news follower and you have no idea what I’m talking about? Don’t blame yourself. It’s not your fault that news channels seem to think Salman Khan’s astrological fate is more important than the possible leakage of the question paper of the national-level examination that decides who gets to study in some of the country’s best medical colleges.

On May 3, around six lakh students appeared for the All India Pre-Medical Test (AIPMT) – the qualifying examination for admission to a five-year preliminary degree in medical and dental sciences. Colleges, which employ AIPMT scores in their admission process, include prestigious institutes like Maulana Azad Medical College and Lady Hardinge Medical College.

The next day though, the Haryana Police arrested four people from Rohtak, which included two dental surgeons, an MBBS student and a businessman.  The group, according to the Haryana Police, was passing on answer keys to students using vests with SIM card units and Bluetooth-enabled earpieces during the exam. “It appears that the exam system has failed which may deprive genuine students of the country from getting admission in medical institutions. It should be suspended in the interest of justice,” a senior cop told The Times of India.

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), which organises the exam, however, believes that there was no leak. It even released a press statement yesterday, wherein it asserted that there was “no leakage of the question paper what so ever”. According to the CBSE, “no reports were received prior to the commencement of the examination, during the examination or after the examination from any quarter by the Board regarding the leakage.” The CBSE also claims that news reports about the “alleged” leak appeared only two days later on May 5.

That, though, is not quite correct. A cursory Google search reveals that the news was reported by more than one organisation on May 4 itself – the very day the arrests were made. The Hindustan Times and The New Indian Express carried it on their websites on May 4.

Also, the CBSE, in its press note, says that “on careful study of the press reports it appears this issue pertains to the use of unfair means and attempt to cheat by certain unscrupulous elements after the commencement of the paper”.

Did the CBSE then really come to this conclusion by examining news reports? Besides being a fiercely competitive test, the AIPMT is the first, and perhaps the most crucial, step into the world of medical science in India.  A compromise in an examination as critical as this could have serious repercussions on the country’s health programmes. Should the CBSE have not taken this more seriously than relying on news reports to issue a clarification almost four days later?

Even more curiously, though, news reports do not really seem to suggest that this was a case of localised cheating as CBSE’s press note seeks to imply. All news reports quote the Haryana Police saying the accused revealed that the Delhi shop where they had procured their Bluetooth vests from, sold another 700 similar units in Jharkhand.

If you don’t yet get how ominous this development is, let me break down the numbers for you: Colleges admitting students through AIPMT have a total of around 3,000 seats.  If 700 of those were actually compromised (and there is strong chance that they were), almost 25 per cent undeserving people would be occupying those seats. Which translates into every fourth doctor passing out of these institutes being under-qualified. Couple that with the fact that India has less than one physician per 1,000 people. These numbers point towards an extremely grim future for India’s healthcare system.

The Indian television media, though, has treated the story with utter apathy. There has been not been no prime time debate or attention given to it. Contrast that to the coverage of the news of the week – the Salman Khan case. Since Wednesday, when Bombay High Court declared Khan guilty of culpable homicide, driving under the influence of alcohol and negligence, front page and prime time has been dominated with the minutiae of Khan’s case.

The blow-by-blow coverage did not end with the high court’s verdict and continued all day today with channels deputing more than two reporters to guarantee “maximum” coverage on the issue. Times Now had more than nine reporters stationed across Mumbai at the high court and outside Khan’s residence, Galaxy apartment, giving a blow-by-blow account.

Back in the studio, Arnab Goswami processed all the information to dissect along with guests like Bachi Karkaria, Anil Dharker and Ujjwal Nikam. While Headlines Today’s with its reporter on ground and Rajdeep Sardesai in the studio discussed excitedly the implications of Khan’s bail with the likes of columnist Nisha Jamwal. Ditto for almost every channel today.

From 9 am straight, TV talking heads debated breathlessly what Salman’s bail means – was justice finally delivered, did he receive more punishment because he’s a celebrity or did he get away easy because.  In all of this, there was not even a fleeting mention of a story that can potentially affect millions of lives in the not-so-near future. The tyranny of TRP won again.