Mr Sheridan is raising a defamation action against the paper

The SSP executive committee meeting minutes are in a sealed envelope in the possession of the authorities.

The Court of Session in Edinburgh ordered they should now be made available to the News of the World.

SSP co-founder Alan McCombes was jailed last month after he refused to hand over the papers.

The newspaper's lawyers believe the documents will help them defend the �200,000 defamation case being brought by Mr Sheridan over allegations about his private life published in 2004.

Contempt ruling

Mr McCombes, who said he faced a legal expenses bill of about �30,000 for his involvement in the case, said he was not surprised by the ruling.

Speaking after the decision, he hit out at the court system for protecting the interests of the rich and powerful.

Mr McCombes was freed at the end of May after the party voted to release the documents, and he was later fined �500 and ordered to pay expenses after Judge Lady Smith ruled he had been in contempt of court.

Mr McCombes was prepared to face jail to stop the disclosure

With the documents in the possession of the authorities in a sealed envelope, Friday's hearing centred around whether the minutes should be unveiled.

Michael Jones QC, for the newspaper, told the court the document was "directly relevant" to the defence case.

Mr McCombes said the minutes were "superfluous and peripheral" to the defence case and disclosing them would deter people from becoming involved in the political process.

But Lady Smith ruled in favour of the other side, saying litigants had to be given the means to defend their case properly.

Before being handed to the newspaper's lawyers, the minutes will be edited to protect the identities of those at the meeting in question.

This was why we're socialists that stand for transformation of the legal system from top to bottom Alan McCombes SSP co-founder

The News of the World believes that the issue of Mr Sheridan's resignation from the post of leader was discussed at the 9 November meeting.

Lady Smith said that the newspaper's defence at the scheduled jury trial in July would be one of veritas - truth - and, as a consequence, Mr Sheridan's credibility would be a key issue.

Responding to Mr McCombes' arguments, she said the fact that information had been given in confidence, or had the promise of secrecy attached to it, was "not in itself a sufficient reason for withholding it".

Lady Smith added that she was "not satisfied" that Mr McCombes "has shown there is a convincing justification for refusing to allow the defence access to this material".

Following the ruling, Mr McCombes said he did not blame the judge, but the legal system as it stood.

"This was why we're socialists that stand for transformation of the legal system from top to bottom," he said.

Mr Sheridan was not in court.