MUMBAI, May 9 -- The central and Maharashtra governments have opposed gangster Abu Salem's plea for release from prison on the grounds that he completed his 25-year jail term in March. In separate affidavits, the Centre and the state told the court that Salem had served only 19 years and five months in jail as of March 31 and, therefore, should not be released. Salem was sentenced to life imprisonment by a local court in September 2017 for his role in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts. Following an appeal, the Supreme Court commuted the sentence to 25 years, allegedly including the undertrial period and remissions he had earned. In his petition, the gangster claimed he had already served the 25-year term if the remission period for good behaviour was included. However, Parveen Singh, secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs, filed an affidavit in reply to the petition, stating that Salem's calculation of his jail term was not correct. "He has attempted to combine two separate conviction periods undergone in separate cases to arrive at a conclusion that he is completing the conviction period of 24 years and nine months on December 31, 2024," the affidavit said. The Centre would abide by the maximum sentence of 25 years, which would expire on November 10, 2030, the affidavit added. The Maharashtra government, meanwhile, stated a release date that's even further down the line. "The probable date of release of the petitioner would be January 31, 2046," said the affidavit filed by Suhas Warke, additional director general of police and inspector general of prisons and correctional services. The affidavit highlighted that Salem has been sentenced to life imprisonment in two different, serious cases-in 2015 for the 1995 murder of builder Pradeep Jain, and in 2017 in the 1993 serial blasts case. In the builder murder case, Salem's set-off period is required to be calculated from October 12, 2005, to September 7, 2017, the affidavit said. In the serial blasts case, the set-off period of 11 years, nine months and 26 days should be considered from February 25, 2015, it said. "That means remission will be calculated from February 25, 2015," it added....