The High Court had initiated a suo motu case after some Twitter users and online portals made defamatory allegations against former Justice S Muralidhar.
Justice N Seshasayee also said that uninformed citizens often criticise the judiciary without even understanding legal procedures but courts must not waste time on such criticism.
The Madras High Court has observed that in a democracy driven by free speech, the courts cannot insulate themselves from criticism and cannot use their contempt power as a "shield to choke the voice.
The order came in a contempt plea moved by the Delhi High Court Bar Association against Gurumurthy after he posted certain tweets allegedly against Justice S Muralidhar, then a judge of the Delhi High Court.