Given below are two statements:
Statement I: Group 13 trivalent halides get easily hydrolysed by water due to their covalent nature.
Statement II: AlCl$$_3$$ upon hydrolysis in acidified aqueous solution forms octahedral $$[Al(H_2O)_6]^{3+}$$ ion.
In the light of the above statements, choose the correct answer from the options given below:

We need to evaluate two statements about Group 13 halides and AlCl$$_3$$ hydrolysis.

Analysis of Statement I: "Group 13 trivalent halides get easily hydrolysed by water due to their covalent nature."

This is TRUE. Group 13 trihalides (like BCl$$_3$$, AlCl$$_3$$, GaCl$$_3$$, etc.) are predominantly covalent compounds. They are electron-deficient — the central atom has only 6 electrons in its valence shell (incomplete octet). This makes them strong Lewis acids. When they come in contact with water, the lone pair on the oxygen atom of water coordinates with the electron-deficient metal atom, leading to easy hydrolysis. The covalent nature facilitates this process because ionic compounds typically dissociate rather than hydrolyse.

Analysis of Statement II: "AlCl$$_3$$ upon hydrolysis in acidified aqueous solution forms octahedral $$[Al(H_2O)_6]^{3+}$$ ion."

This is TRUE. When AlCl$$_3$$ dissolves in water (especially acidified solution), the Al$$^{3+}$$ ion is surrounded by six water molecules in an octahedral arrangement, forming the hexaaquaaluminium(III) ion $$[Al(H_2O)_6]^{3+}$$. This is because Al$$^{3+}$$ is a small, highly charged ion that can coordinate with six water molecules. The octahedral geometry is consistent with $$sp^3d^2$$ hybridization of the aluminium ion.

The correct answer is Option (4): Both Statement I and Statement II are true.