Puducherry lieutenant governor Kiran Bedi has asked chief minister V. Narayanasamy to admit his “mistake” and “face the law” for the helmet-less two-wheeler ride he had taken as part of a Congress by-election campaign on Saturday.

The former IPS officer rejected Narayanasamy’s contention that she should “practise before you preach” — a charge the chief minister had backed up by posting a picture of

Bedi riding pillion without a helmet on the night of August 19, 2017.

Bedi, who had taken the incognito ride on the scooter of a member of her office staff to see how safe the roads were for women, argued the two instances were “not comparable”.

“Mine was a ride to check if women are safe at night in Puducherry on the roads. But yours is for votes and hence face the law,” she said in a message late on Sunday night. “Please face the law as a citizen would.”

Bedi highlighted that the chief minister held the home portfolio. The home ministry is responsible for maintaining law and order. The lieutenant governor and the chief minister have been at loggerheads over various issues.