Prenatal gender testing might be something most couples look forward to in most countries, but it is apparently illegal in India.

But that didn't stop Bollywood superhero Shah Rukh Khan and his companion Gauri from taking the test, according to media reports. The legislation against gender testing of foetuses was enacted in 1994.

The reason is simple. The rate of female foeticide has been so high in India that almost every district in the country has a very low male to female ratio. In part, the blame lies with India's strong ties to tradition such as the dowry system, forcing parents to gift large sums of money, gold or land to the bridegroom and his parents.

This system varies from state to state and is customised to various religious sects and communities, but the 'take-home' lesson is that a girl is valued according to the material possessions she brings to her new home after marriage - a material girl would score the highest in the Indian social milieu.

Well, Shah Rukh and his wife have two children - a boy and a girl. There would be plenty to go around for the Shah Rukh family as far as dowry and status are concerned if the next baby would be a girl. This is justified by the $58 million the superstar raked in last year, according to BBC news.

At any rate, the Indian government has stepped in to make a clear stand on the issue by assigning a health official to conduct an investigation on the matter. Sources close to the story say that it is highly unlikely that the Khan family would spend any time in jail as is the case for pregnant mothers, their spouses, doctors, nurses and other health practitioners associated with the case.

News of the testing surfaced after the Indian Radiological and Imaging Association (IRIA) requested for an inquiry to the Health Minister of Maharashtra, Suresh Shetty, reports BBC.

Earlier media reports suggested that the couple were having a third child involving a surrogate mother. Thesee reports also alluded to the celebrity couple knowing that this baby could be a boy. However, news reporters say that these rumours could be a fallacy. There is a possibility that the Khans did an ultrasound test in a foreign country and this could have been completely legal, BBC news reported.

Despite the plight of the Khans, the IRIA is concerned that the gender disparity that exists in India today is the result of sex-selection and millions of female foeticide/abortions that have taken place in the last two decades. The medical association is insistent that the law apply to the rich and the famous as well.

A spokesman for the IRIA told the BBC, "These rules are applicable to one and all... there cannot ­be one rule for the rich and one for ordinary people."