Assertion (A): Most accused persons do not lead defence evidence in India.

Reasoning (R): The burden is cast on the prosecution to prove the offence and the degree of proof required in a criminal trial is "proof beyond reasonable doubt"

Both A and R are correct and R is the correct explanation of A.

Most accused persons do not lead defence evidence in India. One of the major reasons for this is that in India, the burden is cast on the prosecution to prove the offence and the degree of proof required in a criminal trial is "proof beyond reasonable doubt". This is quite a high standard that the prosecution must meet. It is not enough for the prosecution to assert that the accused has committed the offence. The judge must be convinced beyond reasonable doubt that it was in fact the accused who committed the offence.