Under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005, a "domestic relationship" exists…

Section 2(f) defines a domestic relationship as one between two persons who "live or have, at any point of time, lived together in a shared household" and are related by consanguinity, marriage, a relationship in the nature of marriage, adoption, or as members of a joint family. Both elements are needed: a family tie of one of these kinds and living together at some time. Kinship without a shared household, or a shared household without such a tie, is not enough.