Under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005, a "respondent" generally means:

Section 2(q) defines a respondent as any person "who is, or has been, in a domestic relationship with the aggrieved person and against whom the aggrieved person has sought any relief under this Act". In Hiral P. Harsora v Kusum Narottamdas Harsora (2016) the Supreme Court struck down the words "adult male", so women can also be respondents. A complaint alone, or kinship without a domestic relationship, does not make a person a respondent.