India, Dec. 20 -- The unsealing of thousands of documents related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has triggered a fierce political storm in India, following the verified appearance of high-profile Indian names in the records. The revelations, mandated by the Epstein Files Transparency Act, confirm backchannel communications and meetings but, crucially, provide no evidence linking Indian figures to Epstein's criminal sex trafficking network. The impact is instead focused on elite geopolitical networking and has become a flashpoint for political accountability.

According to the documents, Epstein was a persistent, self-described power broker who tried to get involved in India's strategic discussions, especially those pertaining t...