Bangladesh, Feb. 19 -- In a development that stirred political debate and media scrutiny across India, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has withdrawn from delivering a keynote address at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi. The decision came amid renewed controversy linked to recently released documents related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, whose associations with prominent global figures continue to generate headlines.

Gates had arrived in India several days before the summit and held meetings with elected officials in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, where the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has ongoing development and public health projects. Initially, speculation began circulating on February 17 that Gates would not deliv...