Orchard Towers’ Naughty Girl nightclub loses High Court battle to sell alcohol after midnight

The Naughty Girl nightclub, located within Orchard Towers, has lost its prolonged struggle to sell alcohol past midnight in a recent High Court ruling. Justice Chua Lee Ming dismissed the nightclub operator's challenge to the Singapore Police Force's (SPF) policy, which restricts all establishments within Orchard Towers from selling alcohol after 11:59pm.

The court found the policy to be rational and justified in addressing longstanding law-and-order issues in the area. Since July 2023, Naughty Girl has been permitted to serve liquor only until 11:59pm, following previous unrestricted access. The issue came to light after the nightclub sought a High Court judicial review in December 2024, arguing that the policy was irrational and inconsistent, as other nightlife districts like Boat Quay and Clarke Quay were allowed extended liquor sale hours.

The judge acknowledged the SPF's evidence that Orchard Towers had a history of serious public order problems and had been designated an exclusion area since 2012. Despite deploying additional resources and carrying out numerous anti-crime operations between 2017 and 2019, complaints about crime and vice activities persisted. The July 2019 fatal brawl outside Naughty Girl, which resulted in one death and several convictions, further underscored the ongoing issues.

As a result, authorities phased out public entertainment licenses at Orchard Towers in July 2022, ending live music and dance performances there, while Naughty Girl continued operating by playing free-to-air radio music instead of live entertainment. The judge concluded that the refusal to exempt Naughty Girl from the after-midnight liquor ban was justified, and exempting one operator would likely lead to similar exceptions for others, risking the revival of the law-and-order problems the policy aimed to eliminate.