I'm sure OP is exaggerating a bit but it's no different than the American affirmative action system where if you are black/native then you can get a 1300 SAT and get into an T20 school but if you are Asian then you need a 1600 and a laundry list of achievements.

I'm trying to get a sense of how exaggerated it is.

In the US, someone with a 1300 SAT has a good chance to graduate from T20 school, but someone with a 50% GPA is unlikely to be admitted to any medical school, and if they are admitted, they have roughly 0% chance of getting accepted to / completing a cardiac surgery residency, which is incredibly demanding.

This is indeed true, 50% mark is not exactly like 50% GPA but affirmitive action in India is so f*ed up. I know very bright people kicked out and come to USA for BS in reputed colleges. This is reason, India not able to progress as fast as China or USA