Kiran Bedi (born 9 June 1949) is the first woman in India to join the officer ranks of the Indian Police Service (IPS), social activist and tennis player, who was the 24th Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry from 28 May 2016 to 16 February 2021. She is the first Indian female to become an officer in the Indian Police Service and started her service in 1972. She remained in service for 35 years before taking voluntary retirement in 2007 as Director General, Bureau of Police Research and Development.