Hon’ble Apex Court in case of Sandhya Manoj Wankhade v. Bhimrao Wankhade & Ors. [(2011) 3 SCC 650]. Hon’ble Apex Court in the said verdict, while interpreting proviso to Section 2(q) of the Act has thoroughly examined the expression “relative” and has observed :
“No restrictive meaning has been given to the expression “relative”, nor has the said expression been specifically defined in the Domestic Violence Act, 2005, to make it specific to males only. In such circumstances, it is clear that the legislature never intended to exclude female relatives of the husband or male partner from the ambit of a complaint that can be made under the provisions of the Domestic Violence Act, 2005.”